The Sky Is Angry
by The Fallen Angel24
Summary: What will our favorite heroes encounter on their next big adventure? New love? New friendship? New enemies? If you'd like to re-live the FF7 experience then this is the story for you. Features: CloudxTifa, YuffiexVincent, RenoxElena The FFVII Crew.
1. Downpour Disturbance

**A/N. Hey Guys, Here's chapter one of what I hope to be a really good story :) Please read it. This is my first Final Fantasy VII story so I'm not really used to Action and Adventure.**

**This is a Action/Adventure/Romance and hopefully you'll enjoy it. **

**Here is: Downpour Disturbance**

* * *

Downpour Disturbance

It had been two years since the Planet had unleashed its full strength to destroy the result of the Meteor fall. Two years since they had won the war against evil and all of its remnants. Now they were free from the shadows of the past. Today was their two year anniversary. It was a special day for all the members of AVALANCHE, a day for them to celebrate and relax and forget everything. Barret had used his advantage of being Mayor of Corel to rent out a small, simple cruise ship for the crew to spend the next few days on. All the members of AVALANCHE were there and even the Turks had been invited to the special occasion. Ever since the fall of immorality, the Turks and AVALANCHE had worked hard at their friendship. Of course it hadn't been easy for some but they were all open to try and regain peace.

Cloud stood at the side of the ship pondering his thoughts of what had happened two years ago and how it all felt like yesterday to him. He felt the presence of someone appear next to him, he didn't have to look to know it was Tifa. It was something about her presence that was soothing and comforting. He could always trust his best friend to be there for him, to be by his side and to help fight whatever needed fighting. She looked up at him and gave him one of her beautiful smiles, a smile that would light up any cheerless heart. "Is everything ok, Cloud?" she asked.

He kept silent for a while, a thoughtful look on his face. Finally, he spoke up, "Fine, why?"

Tifa turned to look at him, studying his features. "You should be celebrating with the others. This is the first time we're all together again since Meteor."

He looked down at her and faked a small smile and nodded. He followed her back to the main deck where everyone was. Cid and Barret were having an arm wrestle at one of the tables. Yuffie and Elena were eating at another table while Marlene and Denzel played with Cait Sith. Red XIII was spread out on the deck enjoying the subtle sunshine that was in the sky and Reno and Rude were singing at the Karaoke. Vincent stood emotionless, as always, as he shared converse with Tseng. Tifa made her way back over to the table that Elena and Yuffie sat at. She smiled as the girls welcomed her back.

"So how's Mr. Miserable?" Yuffie said as Tifa sat down on her chair. She looked over at Cloud who made his way over to Vincent and Tseng and began to talk to them. She turned back and glared at her friend.

"This day always seems to put him in a damp mood. He has been quiet all day." Tifa said.

Elena stabbed a cherry tomato with her fork and popped it into her mouth and looked at her new friend with an attentive expression. "So I've been thinking, Teef, shall Yuffie and I go over there and make him serenade to you at the karaoke?"

Yuffie and Elena started giggling between themselves as Tifa just smiled. Ever since Yuffie found out Tifa's feelings for Cloud, she and Elena had constantly teased her about him.

"No really, Teef, I'm being serious. Elena and I will go over there and give him a microphone."

"Yuffie, enough or I'll throw you overboard." Tifa threatened.

This put the teasing to an end and the girls went into another topic of discussion.

* * *

"KABAM! Who's the tough guy now, Cid? Huh, tell me, c'mon, tell me!" Barret taunted as he won another game of arm wrestling against Cid.

"You are." Cid said quietly.

"What? Sorry what? No I didn't hear that?"

"You are." Cid said louder.

"I'm sorry my ears are just playin' up today. You'll have to say that a lil louder."

"You are." Cid said even louder.

"C'mon fool!" Barret said in his booming voice, "Say it louder than that," then he stood up and raised his arms, and shouted in a loud voice, "Who is the greatest of 'em all!"

"YOU ARE!" Cid shouted from the top of his voice. By this time everyone on the boat was looking at them. Barret just stood there smiling triumphantly as he watched Cid walk away pulling out a new cigarette and lighting it up. Barret looked around the deck, still with his victorious grin plastered all over his face, at everyone. His eyes rested on one of his friends.

"Yo Cloud!" He shouted, "Get yo spiky ass over here! I haven't heard from you in months, man!"

Cloud smiled at his adrenaline pumped friend as he made his way over to him.

"Well what you waitin' for man! Gimme a hug" and with that Barret squeezed Cloud breathless in one of his deadly bear hugs.

* * *

"Thank you, thank you!" Reno said as he waved his arm in the air as if he were trying to calm down an audience. But there was no audience. He grinned and put the microphone down and looked over at his best friend. Rude walked up to him and handed him a bottle of something alcoholic. "Rude," he began as they stepped of the karaoke stage, "I've been thinking, we should go into the music industry."

Rude cocked an eyebrow at his slightly drunk friend.

"Think about it," Reno said as he swung an arm around his partner, "I can already see our names on the billboards, lights and all. We'd make quite a hefty amount of gil to."

Rude just shook his friend off and made his way over to Tseng and Vincent's table.

"Humph," Reno said as he watched Rude walk away, "Be that way then."

He stumbled his way over to his other fellow Turks table, Elena's. The girls looked up at the drunken red haired man as he tried to walk smoothly over to them. Tifa and Yuffie just rolled their eyes as Reno smirked at them. After an obstacle of chairs and tables Reno had finally made it to their table. He pulled a chair from another table and placed it next to Elena and sat down on it. He slumped back on it gave the girls his cocky smile. Yuffie was the first to say something.

"Go away." She said simply.

Reno looked at her with a hurt expression. "No, I just got here."

Elena looked at her fellow Turk and just sighed. "Your drunk, Reno. I think you should go to bed."

"Only if one of you," he lifted his hand and waved it around, pointing at all of them on the table, "joins me."

"In your dreams, Reno" Tifa said as she stood up and walked away, heading in the direction Cloud, Barret and Cid were.

"Very likely." Reno said.

"You're disgusting." Yuffie said as she pushed herself of the table she once sat at and walked inside the cabin. Elena and Reno were now the only ones left at the table.

"You're friends are mean." Reno said to Elena as he pouted. She just sighed in return and looked up at the sky. It was dark now and all you could see in the sky were the millions of stars and the big bright moon. It was beautiful. The stars up high were like candles floating in the indigo heavens. It amazed her to think that somewhere, miles and miles from where she was, someone was looking up at the very same stars in the very same sky. Even if they were on the other side of the continent. She shifted her gaze. On the horizon she could see the waves were building up and getting more aggressive than they were 5 hours ago. It was at this time Elena realised how cold it had gotten and she wasn't wearing a jacket or anything to protect her from the harsh air. She shivered as the wind brushed against her bare skin.

"Hey, you're cold." Reno said from beside her. He scooted up closer and rested his arm around her. She smiled at his gesture. Sure, Reno could be a jerk and a pervert at times, but when he wanted to, he could be a real gentleman.

* * *

"Looks like a storm is picking up." Barret observed from his table which accompanied Cloud and Tifa.

"It is getting cold and it must be pretty late now, Cloud what's the time?" Tifa questioned

Cloud pulled out his PHS briefly and glanced at the screen. "Nearly 11 o'clock." He said as he slid it back into his pocket.

"I guess I better get Marlene to bed." Barret said standing up and walking toward Marlene. Cloud watched as his friend argued with Marlene, who obviously didn't want to go to bed.

"Denzel should go to bed around now too, don't you think?" Tifa said

Cloud nodded in agreement and then watched Tifa leave and take Denzel to bed. He scanned the main deck of the ship for the second time that night to look at his friends. He could see Reno and Elena sitting at a table looking rather cosy together and the now lonely Cait Sith approaching them. He twisted the upper half of his body to turn around and see a drunk Cid singing at the karaoke. Tseng was now gone and Vincent was walking over to him.

"Hey,' Cloud greeted him as he sat down at his table.

"Evening," Vincent replied.

"Everyone seems to be going to bed."

"Yes, that's where Tseng and Nanaki have departed to."

Cloud watched as Vincent examined the horizon. "Do you see something?" He asked the unsolved man.

"The wind has really picked up. I suspect it's going to be a rough night."

"I thought the same thing not long ago." Cloud said as he placed his glass that he was holding down on the table. "I think it might be time for us to hit the sack."

"I couldn't agree more. I'd like nothing better than to get out of this wind."

Slowly the deck began to get less and less populated until everyone had gone to their room for the night.

* * *

Cloud heard something rough hit the side of the boat. He opened his eyes to see nothing but darkness surrounding him. He rubbed his eyes and let them adjust to the dark. He squinted as he looked at the clock on the wall. It was 3:00 in the morning. His room was only small, as were all the rooms on the little ship. The boat was rocking wildly. Back and forth. Back and forth. 'Must be a storm' he thought to himself. He slipped out of his bed and got dressed and walked out of his room. He walked down the silent corridor that had doors leading into everyone else's rooms. He grabbed the door handle that would lead out to the main deck. His hand turned it a little bit, afraid of the storm outside, he hesitated to open it. He turned it a little more and gasped as the door swung open by itself wildly. It was almost as if the door itself was possessed by some spirit. He rushed outside and fought the wind and tried to shut the door. Finally, after a battle against the blustery weather he succeeded in closing the door. He felt the rain coming down hard on him, like a million sharp needles darting into him at all different angles. It was hard to see outside, the pelting rain created a thick mist that covered the floor of the deck. He squinted as he looked out at the sea. The waves were enormous. He saw a wave almost ten feet high coming from the right and he ducked as it washed the main deck of the small boat. He could barely stand straight from the uneasiness off the boat. The wooden vessel would sway to the left at one moment and then punch forward the next second. He made a mental note in his mind to stay away from Yuffie, having knowledge of her motion sickness. He grabbed the side of the boat and held on for his dear life. If he let go he would go sliding to the other side of the boat and could even fly off the edge. He should have just stayed in bed. Suddenly he heard shouting from the top. He strained his ears to hear more of it and it sounded like Cid.

Cloud held onto the railing as he pulled himself slowly and carefully up the stairs, feeling the full effect of the wind against him. He cursed as he nearly let go off the railing. Soon, Cid came into view with a damp cigarette in mouth.

Seeing Cid at the helm of the boat was like seeing an angel come to save his life. Of course, Cid was no angel. As he got closer he could hear the colourful swearing coming from Cid as he struggled to control the vessel. Then another human form appeared behind Cid. It was Tseng. Cloud finally made his way over to Cid. He could barely control himself on his feet; it made him wonder how hard it was for Cid to control the entire ship!

"Hey Spiky! Glad you could join us!" Cid exclaimed as he saw his friend struggling to stand next to him. "Beautiful weather we're having tonight, ai?" He said like a mad man. Minutes, which felt like hours, passed and Vincent and Barret made their way to the deck.

Cloud staggered over to Vincent who was clutching the rail of the boat tightly. His dark hair was sticking to his face from the wetness of the rain that showered onto them. Cloud spikes still spiked up but were dropping at the tips. Vincent looked at Cloud as he held onto the rails with him. In the distance they could hear the cursing of Barret and Cid as they tried to control the boat. Even though they weren't far from them, the destructive weather was overpoweringly loud. Even louder than Barret's roaring voice. This was still an incredible understatement. Soon the silhouette of Reno and Rude came up onto the deck, moving just as violently as everyone was.

Reno slipped and lost his grip on the railing and he slid to the ground and across half the deck. He ran into Barret's strong physique and he helped him get back on his feet. "Hold on punk!" Barret shouted over the rain at Reno. Reno held the nearby bar as tightly as he could. From Reno's position he could see Red stumble onto the deck, using his claws the grip the wooden floor. 'Lucky dog has claws' Reno thought to himself.

Barret just prayed that the next person to open that door wasn't Marlene. She didn't stand a chance against the whirlwind. The second she would step out into this weather she would going soaring into the air and into the vicious ocean.

This storm was certainly deadly.

* * *

Elena stirred in her bed as she woke up for the second time that night. She glanced at her watch and saw that the time was 4 am. She could hear the storm outside and knew she wouldn't get herself back to sleep with all the commotion going on, on the other side of the wood that separated her from the crazed wind. She sat up in her bed and looked around the small room that was hers for the night. It held a wardrobe, a bed and a bedside table with a lamp on it. Elena felt incredibly claustrophobic in the room and decided she was desperate for fresh air. Another few minutes inside the stuffy, tiny room and she'd find herself throwing up from the lack of space. She stood up and pulled on her clothes and swayed across the room to the door. It wasn't until now, that she realised how much the boat was moving against the waves. It made it a chore to balance as you stood and this was something she hated.

She cracked her door open the slightest bit and peaked into the hall. It was empty. She slipped herself through the small opening she made herself and tiptoed down the corridor. Keeping both hands of hers on each wall to steady her. She reached the door handle but was stopped from opening the door from a sound behind her. She turned back in surprise to see Tifa walking out of her room.

She smiled at her friend as she approached her. "Can't sleep?"

"The rain is certainly violent. You?"

"I can't stand the size of the rooms. It feels like the walls are closing in on me in them."

Tifa giggled and stood behind her friend as she rested her hand on the doorhandle.

"Teef," Elena said turning back to her friend who waited for her to open the door.

"Hmm?"

"You don't think the rains too strong, do you?"

"Nah, I think it's just a drizzle."

Elena nodded and opened the door and it went flying open. She squealed as she fought against the wind and felt Tifa grab her arm for support. They both put their weight on the door to shut it. Tifa's nails were now digging into Elena's arms and gripping her so tightly for support and caused small tears to appear in the corner of her eyes. The rain however, hid this act of pain. Elena grabbed hard onto the railing that Cloud once held onto. She looked back at Tifa who had grabbed the railing too. They had been outside for almost 30 seconds and already they were soaked to the skin. Tifa pulled herself passed Elena and made her way slowly up the stairs. Elena followed her. She knew that if she let go of the railing the wind wouldn't hold back on sending her airborne into the frightening sea. Tifa was now gone from Elena's sight since she had made it to the top deck. Elena fought the wind but she wasn't as strong as Tifa and she could barely open her eyes. She had no choice but to close them to shield them from the mist and downpour that fell upon her. Her blonde hair was glued to her face and in front of her eyes. She risked letting go of the railing with one hand to wipe her face free of her hair and the water. This was a foolish act because the very moment she let go of the railing with one hand was the very moment she went downhill on the stairs and back onto the main deck. She screamed as she went skidding against the wooden floor and she tried to dig her nails into one of the floorboards to stop her from sliding. A giant wave washed over the ship and Elena and the force of the water bashed her against the other side of the ship. She shouted something but wasn't even sure herself, of what she tried to say. It didn't matter her mouth was quickly filled with a rush of seawater from the next wave that came onto the deck. She tried to grab the railing that was near her but couldn't. The boat tipped nearly vertical and she went sliding away from the rail. She felt like a ball in a game of pinball. Bouncing from one side to the other.

She finally gripped onto something but she couldn't see through the mist to actually know what she was holding. She held tightly onto it for her dear life. She tried to scream for help but her voice was unheard to others because of the violent crashing of the waves and the strong downpour of rain.

* * *

Cloud saw Tifa come up onto the deck and he quickly cursed at her in his head for coming up. Didn't she know there was a deadly storm going on outside? He had to remind himself that he was just as unaware when he came out. He didn't bother trying to make his way to her after he saw that Barret had a good grip on her. And he wouldn't dare to let go of her. No, Barret was like a father to Tifa and would kill himself before letting her go. He turned to Vincent who was right next to him, hanging on for his existence too. "What can we do? This storm feels never-ending!"

Vincent didn't reply. He probably didn't even hear him. The truth was he did hear him, but he heard something else aswell. It sounded like a woman's scream. He looked around to see that Tifa was the only woman on the deck at the moment. It was only a matter of time before everyone was on the deck. He feared the worse for the weaker ones such as, Marlene and Denzel and Yuffie probably fell into that category too.

* * *

Yuffie stood by the window at her room, watching the rain pelt hard on the glass that shielded her from it. She shuddered at the thought of being out in that rain. She knew that Cid was out there trying to control the ship, earlier on she saw Barret and Cid walking down the hall. She had stopped them to see what they were doing. They told her to stay inside and it was too dangerous for her. She wasn't a little girl anymore. Could no one see that! But she knew there was nothing to do outside. She would just be a burden. Of course she'd never admit that. She felt the ship tilt upwards and watched as boxes of cargo and some chairs and tables went sliding down the floor. She had to grip the windowsill to maintain her balance. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw something strange pass her window. It looked like a person. But she couldn't be sure who it was. It couldn't be Barret or Cid, the human she had seen was much too thin to be either of them. She strained her eyes as she saw the same figure go passed again, this time screaming. They had blonde hair. Blonde, slim, female. Elena!

Without a second thought Yuffie bolted out her room and out to the deck. She swung the door, but there was no need the wind did it for her. She hadn't expected such a strong impact from the wind and rain and straight away she fell forward onto her face. She felt a bump on her head form and groaned in pain as she touched it. She started to move helplessly across the deck just as she had seen Elena do a few seconds before.

"Oh my GAWD!" She said as she tried to grab something. The ship tilted again and a wave came and before she knew it she felt herself going over the edge. She tried to grab the railing to stop herself but she was too late. She was in the water. She swam up and tried to grab something but there was nothing to grip! The sides of the ship were to smooth and besides that, what else was there? She screamed and screamed as much as she could to try and get someone's attention but she was quickly silenced from the waves pushing her down, back into the sea. She swam up again and was pushed back down into the water. The same thing happened. And again. And again! She rolled brutally underneath the waves and the water pushed her all sorts of ways. She saw the surface of the water getting further away. She reached out her hand as if she tried to grab it.

* * *

Elena saw it. She saw what had happened to Yuffie. She had tried to make her way to her as soon as she saw Yuffie slide across the deck. But it was too late. She went overboard. Just like that. It happened so quickly. She had just been watching the door. Waiting for someone to come to her rescue and it was Yuffie who opened the door. The poor girl, she didn't even have time to grab anything or even shut the door. She just ran out as if on a mission and straight away face planted the ground. Yuffie slid to the left and then the right and then she was over the edge. Elena just watched with her mouth open. She feared Yuffie's life more than she had feared her own.

She noticed the door was still open and that water was beginning to flood into the cabin. Then she saw another door inside open. Marlene's door. No. The girl didn't stand a chance. She tried to shout and tell her to go back in her room. But the storm was too loud. Another door opened and out walked Denzel carrying Cait Sith. No. This was getting worse! Dammit Yuffie! You should have shut the door!

Then a monstrous wave came and the ship tipped and Elena went overboard.

* * *

Barret's eyes widened as he saw the biggest wave yet coming over top of his head. "That is one motherfucking wave!"

And they were his final words as he was pushed into the roaring ocean.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it and it was good enough to keep you reading :) **

**Please Review! I spent hours on this first chapter and if I don't get many reviews than I may not continue with this story. **

**Hopefully by now you've all realised who I'm pairing with who in this story haha. **

**Any helpful and constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Review and tell me if you would like to hear more.**

**Thank You, The Fallen Angel x**


	2. Battle of the Waves

**Next chapter is up! :) **

**A few short bits at the beginning, they looked a lot longer on Microsoft Word, okay... haha. This chapter isn't too exciting, we're only just getting into the story so don't expect a lot. And do try and remember I'm new to adventure/action.**

**Here is: Battle of the Waves**

* * *

Battle of the Waves

The first thing Vincent noticed was how cold the water was. The second thing he noticed was how hard it was to get to the surface and his cape did not help at all. If anything it was a burden to him but he wouldn't part with it. Finally after a moments struggle he had made it to the surface. The ocean gave him a split second to breathe until it threw him down again. He kicked and shoved his way through the water to the surface again. Once again he got a split second to take a breath and then was knocked under again from the powerful waves. The rough sea splashed in his face, almost choking him with salt water. This was immeasurable; he couldn't keep this up for long.

* * *

Cloud shouted and yelled for Tifa as he fought against the killer waves. He looked around frantically for any sign of her but didn't have much time as another swell shoved him below the surface again. He had timed the waves and found that every 2 to 3 seconds an unbeatable, strong one would come. He pressed forward and tried again, "Tifa! Teef! Answer me!" And then his 3 seconds were up and he dove back down. He even looked for her underwater. He had one thought on his mind, and that was to find Tifa. It was always a natural duty for him to protect Tifa, ever since he had lost Aerith and Zack. He wasn't going to lose her now. He broke out of the water again and yelled, "Tifa!"

But still, no response.

* * *

Barret held onto his daughter as the ocean sent them tumbling, twirling and plummeting. He swam to the top to let himself and Marlene to have a breather.

"Daddy, I'm scared," Marlene said through tears

"Don't worry, Daddy's here."

Another wave sent them down. There were a few times in the water when Marlene would slip out of Barret's strong hold but he would pull her back to him. He dragged her back to the top so they could breathe. Their throats were raw from the amount of sea water they had each consumed. He couldn't help but worry about his other friends who were caught in this lethal whirlpool of going under and then over and then under and then over.

"What about Denzel and Aunt Tifa!" Marlene exclaimed while flapping her arms trying to stay afloat.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine."

* * *

Tifa was always a strong swimmer but no matter how hard she tried the stupid wind would take the air she needed to breathe from away, or the water would thrust her down. It was still dark and she couldn't see ahead in the gloom. The wave motion made her do somersaults and rollie pollies in the sea. She kicked herself to the surface and breathed heavily trying to get as much air as she could. The coldness didn't help. She felt her fingers getting numb and only prayed that this constant hell would end.

It felt like she had been in this torture for hours but in reality is had only been a few minutes. Suddenly something wrapped around her waist and pulled her up. She took a few breaths and turned to see blue eyes meet hers. A wave pushed her down again but he didn't let go of her. He had finally found her after what felt like the longest struggle he's had in a long time.

She was safe in his arms but that still didn't make the experience any better.

* * *

"Reno! Rude! Yuffie! ANYBODY!"

...

"Barret! Tifa! Help, someone!"

...

"Tseng!"

...

"Oh come on!"

Elena continued to scream and scream, but was always cut short because of the storm. She could still see the boat in the distance. It was turned completely over. Everyone was now in the same position as her somewhere out at sea, fighting their own battle. How much agony had she been through since she left her bedroom? The water was freezing and rough. Elena was not a strong swimmer, in fact swimming and heights were her two biggest fears.

"HELPP MEE!" She continued to scream. She didn't want to go this way. Drowning. Oh what a horrible death. If she could, she would have cried. 'I'm gonna have one heck of a cold after this' she thought as she swam to the surface to breathe. She anxiously turned her head around looking for someone else.

It felt like a lifetime had gone by but in veracity it had only been 2 minutes until she saw, Cid's head bobbing on the surface. Gathering all her strength, she kicked and swam her way through the water. Slowly over time she made her way to him.

"Cid" ... "Cid!" ... "Cid!" ... "CID!" She screamed as she swam to him whilst ducking under the continuous waves.

"Elena!" Cid said as he spotted her coming toward him. Once she reached him he gripped her and she held him so they could both stay afloat.

"This is horrible." Elena sputtered out while the waves continued to push them furiously down.

"I know. My pack of smokes are all soaked now!"

* * *

He had survived. It was one tough fight against the sea but he had won. He was alive and he was damn proud about it too. He didn't want to move so he just lay there on the beach. He was tired, all the swimming and yelling had made him weary. Finally, he fought the urge to sleep and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. Sand was all over him.

He stood up brushing his suit and shaking his head free of the sand in his hair. He pulled out his PHS only to find it damaged from the water. The screen on it was frozen and the time said 5:21 AM. It must've frozen at some point he was in the sea.

He looked around and saw that the beach was secluded. He had to find someone, before he did anything. If he survived, then it was likely someone else would have too and they couldn't be too far. For all he knew, someone could be unconscious on the sand just around the corner. He started walking down the beach hoping to run into someone else that survived the violent waves of the sea.

About an hour had passed and he still found himself walking down the beach. The distance he had already covered was surprisingly low but he was exhausted. He had nearly given up on finding someone until he saw something embedded in the sand ahead. With new hope he found himself running forward towards what lay in the sand. As he got closer he saw some type of lion like beast.

"Nanaki!" He shouted as he approached him. Red was unconscious and not far from him laid Cait Sith in the sand. "Cait? Cait are you okay?" at the mention of his name Cait suddenly sprang up.

"Tseng! You're alive!"

Tseng just grinned at him and looked down at Red.

"Is Red okay?"

"He's been like that for ages. I've just been resting here waiting for him to wake up."

Tseng nodded. "Have you seen anyone else?"

"You're the first one I've seen."

Tseng just sighed in response and looked out at the dark waves. The moon was glistening on them and it made the tips or the swells sparkle in the darkness.

* * *

She sat there on the sand, shivering and dripping wet, with her knees together and her arms hugging them, watching the waves roll softly onto the beach. To think that not long ago these waves nearly killed her made a chill run up her spine. She looked at the man who lay next to her sleeping. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she watched the slow rise and fall of the man's chest; the only sign that he was alive.

She had to thank Vincent Valentine, if he hadn't saved her from the wrath of the water, Yuffie Kisaragi would be dead to the world. 'And what a loss that would be' she thought in her head. Yuffie checked her pouch for the third time since she had woken up, checking that all her materia was there. The smiled as she counted 8 orbs of materia, they were all there. It was pure luck that she didn't lose any in the water. The man next to her stirred in the sand, Yuffie was surprised by his sudden movement. His crimson eyes suddenly sprung open and he sat up straight away in alert.

He spun his head around looking at the beach around him. He was alive; he was in disbelief at first. He saw something move on the corner of his eye and turned to meet the eyes of Yuffie. She grinned at him. 'Oh yeah, I saved her didn't I?' he thought to himself.

"How are you?" Vincent asked in his monotone voice.

"A little nauseous, I swallowed a lot of seawater and the ride on the ship wasn't all too pleasant." They sat there in awkward silence for a while, not looking at eachother. "So what happens now?" Yuffie said, breaking the silence.

"We should try finding the others and at the same time try to find out where we are." Vincent said as he stood up, dusting himself clean of sand and dust. Yuffie mimicked his actions and looked around.

"Well, we're on an island." She said pointing out the obvious.

"I realised." Vincent mused. "I think it would be wise to search the beaches of this island, if the others survived we would most likely find them washed up ashore somewhere."

Yuffie nodded and started following Vincent down the sand dunes. They spent the next 2 or 3 hours just walking silently on the sand. Yuffie couldn't help but think in her head, 'a walk on the beach, how romantic'. She smiled inwardly at the fact that she ended up with Vincent and at the fact that he was the one who saved her. She could die happy now. She tried to make converse as she paced behind Vincent down the beach and the numerous dunes. Most of her attempts consisted of, "So that storm was pretty rough, ai?" or "The weather sure has cleared up," and he would just reply with a simple nod. She had to admit that he wasn't the best when it came to conversations.

She sighed and continued walking behind Vincent, looking at her feet. She probably didn't mean much to him. He probably only saved her because she was there at the time. She was probably an annoying fly on the side of the windscreen of his life, being smacked to the side by the window wipers each and every time. Yuffie was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that Vincent had stopped walking so in result, she just ran right into him.

"Sorry," she blurted out, her heart beginning to pick up its pace. Vincent just raised a hand, silencing her. She immediately caught onto what he was thinking and remained quiet. She strained her ears trying to hear whatever he had heard but she could only hear the calm lapping of the waves and the wind that guided them. "What is it?" she whispered.

"I feel we're being watched." Vincent said.

Yuffie looked around for any sign of someone or something else. She saw nothing but knew not to underestimate Vincent's instincts. If he said someone was watching them, someone was watching them.

* * *

The pain in the back of Barret's head was excruciating. He slowly lifted his head to make sure that he didn't get dizzy. Other than the sharp pain at the back of his head and the exhaustion he felt, he was fine. He stood up slowly, shaking his head, "Man... Those oceans sure don't like me." He muttered as he looked out at the now peaceful sea. He brushed the sand and beach particles off himself and started to examine the beach. In the distance he spotted two humanoid shapes. 'Looks like I wasn't the only one the sea spat out,' he thought to himself as he walked unsteadily over to them. It was still early morning and the cold wind from the night still remained but it wasn't as strong. The clouds were like white beds of cotton, nestled atop the bare cerulean sky. With the sun shining it's new morning rays through the gaps of the clouds. As Barret walked over to the two unknown people he couldn't help but feel a stab of shame, he had lost Marlene in the water, but they were only a mere 100 metres from the shore. It was possible she made it herself or was washed ashore from the waves. Barret just hoped that she wasn't too far.

As he approached the two humanoid shapes he quickly realised that one had blonde spiky hair. He cracked a grin and jogged down the rest of the shore towards them. When he got closer he could see Cloud's arm was wrapped around Tifa's waist and that both of them were unconscious. Before he knew it he was standing next to his two friends. He leant closer to Cloud and examined his face.

He looked alive. Barret poked him on the shoulder to try and get a reaction out of him but got no response.

Poke. Poke. Still no answer. He poked him one last time on the shoulder and it was like he hit the 'on' button because Cloud instantly woke up. He groaned, reaching for his head straight away. Cloud shuffled in the sand and then opened his mako glowing eyes. The first thing he saw was Barret's face and his big grin spread from ear to ear. His head jerked back in surprise and fear and Barret pulled away with his huge grin still on his face.

"Jeez Barret, do you have to be so close?" He asked as he sat up in the sand running a hand through his hair to shake the sand out. His spikes bending back and forth from the gesture.

"Man, you're alive and all you can think about is your personal space? If I didn't know any better, you bein' a selfish ass. You selfish ass!" He exclaimed. Cloud just smiled in return.

"That storm sure was something." Then he realised Tifa was next to him. He studied her for a moment and soon saw the rise and fall of her chest, suggesting she was alive too. "Did anyone else survive?"

"I only woke up about 10 minutes ago, further down the beach," Barret said while he pointed behind his back to where he woke up. He rubbed the back of his head, "Is it just me, or does your head really hurt?" Barret said, hoping he wasn't the only one in pain.

"Everything hurts." Cloud replied. He turned to Tifa and softly brushed the hair of her face. The simple motion caused her to wake up, which he didn't mean to do. "Morning sleepyhead," he said as she squinted her eyes in the sunlight that was now pouring on them.

She groaned and coughed a little as she sat up. Her throat felt coarse from the amount of water she must have swallowed and she felt nauseous aswell. She looked to see Cloud sitting next to her and Barret standing beside Cloud.

"That was awful," she said as she remembered the storm.

"You got that right." Barret said.

Cloud stood up and looked at Barret with a new look of concern on his face. "Where's Marlene?"

Barret just looked out to the blue ocean. "I lost her." He said quietly.

Cloud gave Tifa a hand and helped her up. She brushed her shirt free of the sand that stuck to her. She wanted nothing more than to reassure Barret that Marlene had survived but it would be pointless. A little girl wouldn't have survived the strong waves. Heck, Tifa wouldn't have even survived if it wasn't for Cloud, but there was still hope, Marlene could have been swept up onto the sand from the waves. It was scary to think that she was still in the ocean.

"Have you seen anybody else? Any sign that the others are alive?" Tifa asked.

"No, I was just telling Cloud not long ago that I just woke up not far from here. I spotted you two straight away and came over."

"So what's the plan, chief?" Tifa said crossing her arms and looking at Cloud expectantly.

Cloud rolled his eyes, "I think we should search the island for the others and at the same time, think of a way to get home. We have no idea how far we are from civilisation, but then again, we could have washed up on a resort island."

"I hope we washed up on a resort island." Barret said.

"Don't you think someone would have found us by now if we were on a civilised island?" Tifa spoke up. Barret and Cloud just looked at her blankly in return. Did she have to be so realistic?

"Come on, let's try finding someone else."

* * *

Cid used to like the ocean. Now he hated it. He despised it. It had been almost an hour since he and Elena woke up on the shore of this, so far, deserted island. They had begun searching the island for others but started to lose hope. They had found no sign of anyone and had given up on searching the beach. They were now making their way inland and through a jungle. The jungle wasn't too bad when they first entered it, but the further they walked into it, the worse it got. First of all, it was humid and sweaty and Cid and Elena felt all sticky. Second, there were no clear paths and Cid found himself using his spear to cut through vines, bushes and all sorts of plant life. Third, they were thirsty and hungry, not to mention tired from the struggle of survival in the sea.

Some of the plants in the jungle were sharp with thorns and Elena kept getting her clothes caught on them. She looked at her watch to see that it was now 8 am. They had been walking for nearly 3 hours and she needed a rest.

"Cid, maybe we should have a rest now." She said and he agreed. Cid sat down on a tree stump only 5 metres from where Elena sat down. She rested her back on the nearby tree. "Do you think we were the only two who survived?"

Cid pondered this for a moment and shook his head, "Nah, the others would have made it. Don't worry, we'll run into them at some point. I have this gut feeling."

Cid used his handkerchief to wipe his forehead of the sweat he had from the humidity in the jungle. He looked back at the plants he had cut through to make a pathway. It was obvious now that this island wasn't very populated. He pulled out his pack of wet cigarettes that he had been slowly drying.

"Stupid sea." He muttered.

* * *

**A lot of short puzzle pieces were put together in this chapter haha. **

**Thank you to: Genesis, Helliebabe, silverofaheartless and vLuna for reviewing chapter 1 (Downpour Disturbance). It means a lot to me when people review.**

**So please, Review! I'm aiming for around 3 or 4 reviews until I post chapter 3, (Which I have half written already). **

**Thank you for reading and please stay tuned!**

**The Fallen Angel24**


	3. Move Along

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, I've had a pretty busy week (had a truckload of work). This chapter is rather roughly done, nothing really significant happens. It's more of a filler. I only quickly edited this so I'm sorry if there are any major mistakes. **

**Please Enjoy; Move Along**

* * *

Move Along

"Where is everybody!" Tifa shouted in frustration. Tifa, Barret and Cloud had been walking on the beach for the last 2 hours looking for another one of their friends. So far they had had no luck.

"Perhaps we should change our direction." Cloud suggested.

"No. What you said made sense; if they survived they'd be on the beach, right? Then why haven't we found anyone!" Tifa was getting angry. Her fists were clenched and her eyebrows were knotted together in the middle. She was worn-out from all the upheaval and all the walking.

"Would you like to rest?" Cloud asked in a calm tone.

This just made Tifa angrier. "Not until we find somebody." How could they have so much energy? For the last two hours Barret and Cloud have been leading the way and Tifa had just been pulling herself along. They could have atleast acted tired so she didn't feel so helpless.

They continued walking in silence for the next hour until Barret broke the absence of sound. "This island is damn big; it'll take use the next 2 days to reach the other side!"

"I'm surprised myself. Atleast now we know it is uninhabited." Cloud added. Suddenly Tifa held her hand up to silence them.

"Do you hear that?" Tifa said in a hushed tone.

"Hear what?" Barret blurted out but was silenced by Tifa's glare. They all stressed their ears to hear what Tifa was hearing. Soon the sound became clearer in the stillness. It sounded like someone crying, a little girl to be more specific.

Barret's eyes widened. "Marlene! Where are you, baby? Speak to me Marlene, Speak to me!" he beckoned.

Cloud followed the sound and Tifa followed Cloud while Barret just looked around in the spot frantically with a smile on his face. Cloud reached rubble of rocks and climbed up a few to see Marlene crying behind them. As soon as she saw Cloud her eyes lit up, "Uncle Cloud!" She shouted and jumped into his arms. Cloud smiled in return and nodded to Tifa who stood not far from the rocks.

"Barret!" She waved to him, "Over here!"

Barret jogged up to the rocks that Cloud stood by with Marlene hugging his leg. "Daddy!" She shouted as she ran over to him.

"Come here, chicken," He said as he hugged her gently... which wasn't very gentle for Barret. "Are you alright?" Barret asked in concern of his daughter's health.

"Uhuh, I just have scratches." Marlene said. Barret lifted her up and began carrying her in his arms.

"Shall we continue looking for the others, now that we have Marlene?" Cloud asked as he jumped down from the rubble of rocks.

"Yeah, man!" Barret said in new happiness from finding Marlene. Tifa was happy that Marlene had survived, she was happy that Barret was happy. She was happy for them, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy and envy towards Barret. He had found Marlene, but Denzel was still out there somewhere without her. It wasn't fair.

"Well now that we know that Marlene survived, the others must have survived too. I just hope Denzel made it to the shore." Tifa said as they began walking on the beach again.

"I'm sure Denzel's fine, Teef. If Marlene survived, it's likely that Denzel did too." Cloud said as he took the lead. Tifa walked behind him and Barret and Marlene a few metres behind.

"But Marlene had Barret. I wasn't with Denzel and neither were you. What if he was trapped inside the boat when it flipped? What if he couldn't swim against the waves? What if he's still out there?" Tifa started a whole list of possibilities of what could have happened to Denzel. Cloud just stood there, she hadn't even mentioned Denzel ever since they woke up on this island. It was obvious to Cloud that this was something that had been stirring her inside, and now she was letting it all out. He could see tears start to form in the corners of her brown eyes. He walked over to her and put both of his hands on her shoulders and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Teef, did you ever think that maybe someone else could have been with Denzel? It's possible that Vincent looked after him or that Yuffie made sure he made it to shore. Worrying about it won't help find him. C'mon, we have to try and find the others." He spoke each word softly to her and kept his eyes on hers the entire time.

Tifa sniffed and wiped her moist eyes and smiled at Cloud, "I know, I have to be strong but it's so hard. I can't stop thinking about him. But you're right; crying about it won't be any help." By this time Barret had reached the two. He wasn't carrying Marlene anymore; he was just holding her hand as she walked beside him. He frowned when he saw Tifa upset.

"Is everything ok here?" Barret asked with an alarmed expression. Tifa just smiled weakly in return.

"Yeah," Cloud said for her, "Let's keep going. If we don't find anyone on the beach for the next hour or so, we'll start searching for others inland."

About 2 hours later.

There was still no sign of anybody. After almost 5 hours they hadn't seen any other sign of people or civilisation. It was nearly noon now and they had begun to get hungry, especially Marlene who wasn't shy to tell people. By this time they had given up searching the beaches and had retreated to going inland.

The further inwards they got, the steeper the ground became. Finally, they reached the base of a mountain. Cloud looked up to examine the mountain. It was pretty rough and made of some type of rock, the rocks provided many handholds and it was the ideal type of mountain for rock-climbing. He could climb up it, but the problem was, they had Marlene with them.

He turned to look at Tifa who was looking up at the mountain aswell. "What do you think? Should we go over it, or around?"

Tifa spun her head to look at the way around, the mountain wasn't very tall but it sure was wide, it would probably take them a lot longer to go around, and Tifa could see the ground got sharper, which would make travelling harder. It would only take about 20 – 30 minutes tops to climb over the mountain. "Over." She said simply and Cloud nodded his head towards where Barret and Marlene were standing. Marlene was sitting down and Barret was looking another direction. He didn't have to say anything for Tifa to understand what he was thinking. Marlene would struggle to climb the mountain, and Barret would probably want them to go around because of it. She gave Cloud a knowing look and walked over to Barret and Marlene.

"Barret, we're thinking of climbing over this mountain to save time. Do you think Marlene could handle it?" Tifa said as she came up to them.

Barret looked up at the mountain for a moment, thinking about it. He looked at the rocky mountain, and then at Marlene, and then the mountain again and then Marlene. He looked at Tifa and raised an eyebrow, "Well, we could get over it, but I don't know if Marlene could and I don't feel comfortable putting her in that position."

Cloud came up to stand next to Tifa. "We'll put the decision in your hands, Barret."

Barret nodded and began thinking quickly. He wasn't going to climb over the mountain with Marlene, that was for sure, but going around would take double the time. Maybe he could risk it with Marlene? No. She didn't have long enough arms and legs to reach the handholds the rocks provided. The safest way would be to go around; the quickest way would be to go over. What about if they split up?

"How about, Marlene and I go around and you two can climb?"

"I don't want to split up. I think it would be best to stick together. Plus to go around the mountain, you would have to go into that jungle, and who knows what could be in there." Cloud said.

"Let's just go around, it's not like we're in a rush anyway." Tifa suggested, and after that she turned and began walking down the side of the mountains base, Barret and Marlene following her.

Cloud remained where he was and looked at the mountain one more time and then back at his friends. "I'd like to find the others as quick as possible, so we are in a rush actually." He shouted as his friends kept walking further away.

He sighed, "Fine," and started to run after them.

* * *

It had giant green eyes that were bulging out of its small yellow head. If Cid didn't know any better, he was being chased by a giant wasp like creature. It was about the size of a bed pillow. Elena was behind him, running away from it also. Cid hadn't meant to disturb it; it was a simple coincidence that he cut right through a giant flower that the wasp was nestled in. They continued to run back through the path that Cid had made, having no other choice because the jungle was too thick around for them to run through. Even the trail that Cid had cut through still consisted of branches and rocks that they would each find themselves slipping and tripping on. Elena squealed as she looked back to see the giant wasp coming closer.

"It's gaining on us!" She shouted at Cid who was only 2 feet in front of her.

Cid looked back and his eyes widened when he saw that another wasp had joined the chase. Now they were being chased by two. "Shit!" He said as they continued running back the way they came from. Elena only just realised how far they had gone into the jungle and it made her wonder how big the whole jungle was. It would be a shame if they were only a few minutes away from getting through the entire tropical forest and now they were going back to where they started. The wasps were slowly gaining on them and it was only a matter of time until they caught them. Cid suddenly turned – surprising Elena – and held his spear in front of him. Elena quickly got the idea and hopped behind Cid and pulled out her gun.

The two wasps didn't slow down; they just kept going forward at full speed to Cid and Elena. With a cry, Cid pounced forward to the closest wasp and jabbed it with his spear several times. The wasp dodged a few times but was hit by more than one of the blows. Cid smashed his spear against the wasp's wing and crumpled it. The creature began to let out a high pitched buzzing noise and started to drift to the ground because of its fallen wing while the other wing flapped furiously. Cid took the opportunity and drove his spear right through the giant fly. Green ooze squirted out of the creature and half of it went on Cid. Cid pulled back away from the bug as the green gooey substance splattered everywhere.

Elena kept her eye on the other wasp that approached her rapidly. She fired her gun at the wasp. It staggered a little but picked up its pace again quickly. She fired again and again. She kept her stance and her eyes on the wasp. It kept coming at her again; she fired her gun for the fourth time. It went down straight away, exactly 3 feet away from Elena. Green slime sprayed on her and she raised her arm to shield her from the stuff.

"Gross," She muttered to herself as she looked at the now dead bug. Cid came up beside her.

"Let's hope we don't run into anymore of those things." Cid said referring to the giant wasps.

"So what do we do now?" Elena asked.

"I reckon we keep going through the jungle." Cid suggested and stepped over the huge wasps. Elena nodded and copied his actions.

* * *

Reno scratched his head as he walked through the jungle. He had woken up about an hour ago by himself. He wondered what had happened to Rude. The last thing he remembered was Rude telling him to grab his glasses. That man was insane, what did he think? I'd go swimming off in the raging sea to grabs his sunnies? Did he even need them? Reno checked his watch and it read, 1:45pm. He must have been out for some time. As soon as he woke up he began looking for Rude. He wasn't getting far on the beach so he decided to check a jungle that was nearby.

The vegetation was thick and Reno had to use his little pocketknife to cut through vines that dangled everywhere. It was humid and stuffy in the jungle. He couldn't see the sky because the trees branches covered it. Atleast he wouldn't get wet if it rained. The plant life on this island was different from any other he had ever seen. First of all, everything was huge. The tree trunks were atleast 6 feet in diameter and the branches were as thick as Reno's body. The vines were like solid ropes and it actually took some effort to cut through them. The grass was thick and bushes and shrubbery covered the ground, Reno couldn't even see his feet. Things weren't looking too good for the Turk.

An hour passed of Reno playing Tarzan and he had to admit, Tarzan lived a rough life. Just as he was thinking of turning back he saw something a couple feet from him. He cut through the foliage and plants to get to it. There was another trail, someone else must have been through this jungle and cut their way through aswell. Ages ago he had learnt this island was uninhabited so it must have been one of his friends. He got excited for a minute about his new discovery but then realised a dilemma. Which way did he go? Left or right? He didn't want to go the wrong way and walk away from his friends. He decided to just give it a guess.

"Hmmm... Right." He said to himself and began walking down the already cut trail. He tried to look for hints of who may have cleared this path. It wasn't that wide, only wide enough to fit someone Reno's size, maybe a little bigger. So clearly it wasn't Barret who waltzed down here.

As Reno walked further down the trail he started to smell something. Something odd. 'Maybe Barret did go down here,' he thought to himself. Soon the smell got stronger and Reno hesitated to keep going. He held his breath and forced himself forward and then what was causing the smell came into view. He frowned at the sight before him. He walked closer, still holding his nose, too examine it.

In front of him lay two giant wasps. They were a lot bigger than any type of wasp he had ever seen. Their eyes were like the size of his hand. He could see green slime around them and they were obviously dead. He noticed stabs and cuts on one of them and the other had bullet wounds. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

He was definitely on the right path.

* * *

Denzel watched the rock he threw against the water skip along it. He was amazed how much the storm had died down. Just a few hours ago he was caught in its deathly wrath. He realised how lucky he was, to experience something so fatal and survive. It made him appreciate life a lot more. He changed his gaze to look at Rude. If it wasn't for Rude, Denzel would have probably drowned.

Rude woke him up a few hours ago and since then they had just been wandering and exploring the island, looking for the others, if they survived. Denzel hated the thought of Tifa and Cloud not surviving. He couldn't lose them, they were the closest things to parents he had ever since he had lost his own. They were the people who cared for him, who were there when no one else was. He shook the thought out of his head. What was he thinking? Of course they survived. The seawater must have gotten to his head. If Rude survived, surely Cloud survived, which meant Tifa would too.

Rude came up to him, he hadn't said much to Denzel since they woke up, but Denzel didn't mind. He knew Rude wasn't the talkative type.

"Sunset is coming in a few hours. We need a place to sleep and I don't desire to sleep on the beach again." Rude said.

"Where are we going to sleep?" Denzel said.

"I think we should search for hospitality in there," Rude pointed to the distance and behind a few low hills and open plains, Denzel could spot what looked like a forest in the horizon.

"In that forest?" He asked

"Not a forest," Rude corrected. "A jungle, and from the view on the hill I was just standing on, it seems to be rather dense. The trees should provide some protection."

"And maybe there's food in there too. I'm starving." Denzel commented. Rude just nodded in response. They began walking towards the jungle with no hesitation. The hills that stood in their way weren't too high; it was more of a very uneven ground. The beach was beginning to fade away into an open plain. The sand was becoming mushier as it blended with the grass. Denzel and Rude walked over the several hills and down the plains of mushy grass until they reached the jungle.

They stood outside for a moment, just observing the vegetation and flora in there. From where he stood, Rude could see that the overgrown plants had covered most of the soil and that left very little to walk on. The plants were all big; it was like a jumbo jungle, if Rude wanted to call it something. He could already feel the airless heat coming from the jungle. Through his sunglasses he tried to see if there were any fruits growing on any of the trees, or if he could recognise any of the plants. It was hard for him because the leaves and branches of most trees blocked his view from seeing further into the jungle.

Denzel looked up at the sky. He could see that sunset had taken over the once blue heavens. The sunset was bursting with the colours, red, yellow and orange with swift touched of pink here and there while red and yellow clouds speckled across the evening sky. The fiery colours were quickly vanishing beneath the horizon. Denzel couldn't help but smile as he watched the sun shine its last rays of daylight before night would take over. It reminded him of when he was little and he, his mother and father would go watch the sunset.

"So are we gonna stay here for the night?" Denzel said, breaking the comfortable silence that had lay between them as they took in the view.

"I suppose. Tomorrow morning we should work on trying to find a way home. Or atleast learn where we are." Rude said and then slipped into the jungle, having to step over large logs and duck under low branches. After almost an hour of irritating venturing through the jungle they finally found a peaceful place.

It was the first actual spacey area that they had come across. A few trees surrounded them and the vines still remained but there was a lot of free room on the dirt for them to lie on. The air was less close in this part of the jungle and made breathing more at ease. Rude sat by a tree and leaned his back against the trunk whilst Denzel just lay down in the middle of the dirt.

He looked up to see nothing but the colossal branches tower over him and the leaves that dangled off them, offering plenty of shade. He closed his eyes and let deep sleep take over him.

* * *

**Hopefully it wasn't as bad as I thought. I was a little nervous to post this chapter up. It's not my best and in fact my best hasn't been seen yet. I'm hoping my next chapter makes up for this haha. Please Review and tell me what you think. And any good ideas or anything you would like to see happen. After all, I'm writing this for you.**

**Thanks for reading! And I'm aiming for another 3 or 4 reviews on this chapter until I post Chapter 4 (which I have started).**

**Fallen Angel24 xx**


	4. Night Filled with Diamonds

**This one is sort of a 'Part 2' of Move Along. The first half of this chapter was originally part of the 3 chapter but I decided to cut it out and then I ended up having to add another part so I could make this another chapter. Yeah, that probably made no sense... **

**Anyway, a little bit of Yuffietine at the beginning but nothing compared to what will be coming up later in the story, (In other words; keep reading and bear with me and my slow updating pace). Nothing too significant but I think it's a little sweet :)**

**Please enjoy.**

**Here's: Night Filled with Diamonds**

* * *

Night Filled with Diamonds

From the top of a mountain, Yuffie lay there, surrounded by nothing but grass, rock and dirt. She stared at the sky in front of her and for the first time realised how tranquil the vision made her feel. Something about the sky was mysterious to her, eerie and calm. She found the whole view entrancing and captivating and soon found that she couldn't take her eyes off the dark beauty that wore diamonds all over. It was a beautiful night; the sky was like a navy blue blanket, glittering in all the right places. Yuffie couldn't help but look at the stars and wonder what types of lives were lived out there. She sat up and looked into the distance to see the dark outline of Vincent walking around. He had been doing it ever since they had climbed to the top of the mountain.

She stood up and walked over to Vincent. "Aren't ya gonna try get some sleep?"

Vincent stayed quiet for some time, and for a moment Yuffie thought he wasn't going to reply, but he did. "It's been a long day. I think you should get some sleep."

Yuffie smiled at his care and compassion. "And you? We've both been through the same thing. If I need rest, then you do to. And I'm not sleeping until you are."

He looked at her. "Someone needs to stay awake and be on guard. Who knows what creatures live on this island."

"Stop worrying and get some sleep." Yuffie said, slightly demandingly.

"It never hurts to be cautious. I'll be fine, but you should go rest. I have a feeling tomorrow won't be as easy as today."

"Take the risk, Vincent." She said quietly, not wanting to make him angry. Then she realised how cautious he had been all day. "You still think something's watching us, don't you?"

"I don't _think_ something is watching us. I _know_ something is watching us. I believe that the moment we both let down our guard, whatever is following us - will attack."

She sat down, cross-legged, on the patch of dried grass she was standing on. Vincent looked down at her and she patted the spot next to him. He sat down next to her, stretching his legs and leaning backwards using his hands on the ground as support. His lips curved finely upwards.

"The night is beautiful on this island." He said, gazing at the miraculous sky.

"Yeah," Yuffie smiled, "The lights in Wutai usually drain the brightness out of the stars so I don't usually see so many bright stars in the sky. I didn't know that the stars could be so beautiful."

"I've always liked night time better than daytime. Looking at the stars used to be one of my favourite things to do."

"Used to be?" Yuffie said with a delicate frown of confusion

"I guess I just forgot about the natural beauty the earth offers us." Vincent said as he started to focus his attention on a rock he was rubbing against the dirt, making strange and peculiar patterns in the ground.

Yuffie understood, knowing he was referring to what had happened with Hojo. She really didn't want this night to end because of a horrified memory coming back to haunt him, it was the first time she had been able to have a conversation with Vincent. Something she always wanted and she knew she would treasure this moment.

"Vincent," Yuffie started and Vincent looked up at her with his cherry-crimson eyes. It wasn't his usual sinister glare that he often wore; it was a lot softer and kind-hearted. He still continued drawing in the soil with the rock but he kept his eyes on Yuffie. It made her heart race a thousand times faster than her normal resting heartbeat. "Do you think the others are okay? I mean the fact we haven't seen any sign of them kinda worries me. What is we were the only survivors? Or what if they all survived and have found a way home and decided to just leave us? What if they abandoned us! Oh gawd, if they did their gonna get an ass-whooping when we get off this island!"

Vincent smiled at her, it wasn't a big smile, but it was one of his smiles. "Yuffie, do you really think the others would abandon us because they couldn't find us?"

"Well, they might have thought we drowned." Yuffie obviously thought this to be true.

"I believe we're just scattered across the island. I'm sure we'll run into someone soon. I just hope that everyone's okay."

"Yeah, I hope Elena's okay." Yuffie said, remembering seeing her friend was being pushed around on the boat; hopefully she wasn't knocked unconscious and then fell into the sea.

Vincent frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, the whole reason I left my room on the boat in the first place was because I saw Elena outside my window, sliding around the main deck. She had no control and couldn't seem to grab anything. So I ran out there, hoping to save her but instead the strength of the wind took me by surprise and I fell to the floor and ended up in the same situation as her. Only, I went straight off the edge of the boat. It was scary."

Vincent nodded as he listened along. He thought he had heard a woman screaming a few times when he was next to Cloud and holding the railing. It must have been Elena. He cursed himself for not helping her, when he suspected someone was in danger. He thought it was rather brave of Yuffie to try and help. He realised that Yuffie must have fallen into the water before everyone else.

"That was heroic of you." Vincent said as he returned to drawing in the dirt with his rock.

Yuffie just laughed. "Heroic?" she continued laughing and Vincent was a little amused by her reaction. She snorted a few times before she calmed herself down. "Vincent, it was far from heroic. I didn't even get to her. The second I was out the door I had fallen into trouble."

"It's the thought that counts." Vincent said as he began digging a small hole in the ground, using his rock as a shovel. Yuffie couldn't help but smile as she watched him draw and dig with the rock. He was so darn cute when he wanted to be.

"I'm lucky that everyone else fell into the water. I would have drowned if you lot didn't end up in a similar situation." Yuffie admitted

"Yeah, none of us would have known that you were in the water in the first place. Elena was only down the stairs from where I stood and I didn't notice her."

"I wonder what everyone's doing right now. For all we know, Tseng could be hanging off a cliff or Tifa could be battling some walking tree."

Vincent chuckled. "Walking tree? You have one hell of an imagination Yuffie."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is."

Yuffie smiled and Vincent looked at her for a while smiling, and then quickly looked away with the smile gone. He stood up, dropping the rock on the ground. Yuffie frowned in confusion as she watched him walk away and then stop in the darkness. She decided to just leave him and not try to push him. She had accepted a long time ago that Vincent Valentine was one mystifying man. Her eyes saw the rock that sat inches away from her. She picked it up and put it in her pouch that was filled with materia. Then she lay down on the dried up grass that itched but she couldn't be bothered moving so she just closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep, under Valentines protection.

* * *

"How about here?" Red said for the seventh time that night.

"No." Tseng said as he looked around. "There's too much vegetation. This is the ideal area for a lot of insects."

"There's vegetation everywhere!" Cait started, "We're in the bloody jungle!"

Red, Cait and Tseng had been exploring the jungle for some time and soon realised how late it had gotten. They now were trying to find a safe and secure area for them to rest, but neither of them could agree. It was either too hot, too crowded, too many plants, too muddy or too smelly.

Tseng continued into the jungle, using his pocketknife to cut his way through with Red and Cait stumbling behind. They continued going for what felt like years to Red. It was Tseng who was being the picky one, Cait didn't care and now he didn't either. Oh, if only Red had ended up with someone more reasonable and someone he liked a lot better, such as Cloud or Vincent. It had been hard for Red to adjust to calling the Turks friends. He noted how the other members of AVALANCHE didn't have as much trouble as him. Red just had to live with it.

Another hour had gone by of them cutting their way through the jungle. Ahead, Tseng could see an open area. It was perfect, and he could already feel a refreshing breeze coming from the spot. He started cutting through the couple of broad vines that dangled in their way and he pushed a log to the side and motioned Red and Cait to follow him.

He walked into the plain and grinned. "Here." Tseng said and turned to look at Red and Cait. His eyebrows knitted together when he saw their expressions. It was mixture of confusion and surprise that was displayed on their face. "What?" Tseng said and turned to see what they were looking at. And then that's when the expression was painted onto Tseng's face.

In front of him lay Denzel, sleeping peacefully on a patch of dirt and to the right of him, Rude was against a tree – sound asleep. What a coincidence.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones in this jungle after all." Red said as he stepped forward to be next to Tseng.

"Should we wake them up?" Cait said as he stepped next to Red.

"No, let's just sleep. They will see us when they wake up." Tseng said as he started to lie on the ground. Red nodded and padded near Denzel and he spread out next to him. Cait just stood there and turned himself off for a while.

* * *

"It's a shame we can't see the night sky. Usually when I'm camping at night I like to look at the sky. It's usually beautiful." Elena said from her position. She was lying down on some thick grass. The sharp blades of the grass were tough and lightly stabbed into her neck and any other areas of exposed skin. The sharp points felt itchy as they scrape against her. All she could see above her was the continuous weaving of branches and then nothing but incredibly large leaves cover the sky. She had to admit it was a little entertaining to see how the branches naturally weaved themselves around but nothing like looking at the night sky.

All she got in response from Cid was his snoring. He was currently taking up most of the room of the small area that he had cleared for them amongst the trees and plants. She couldn't understand how he could sleep in the environment they were in. She couldn't sleep, she was too uncomfortable. It was still hot and the treetops blocked them from the refreshing night time breeze. She was feeling a little claustrophobic and the fact she was lying in muddy, itchy grass wasn't too pleasing either. She wiped some sweat off her forehead and sighed as she shuffled amongst the grass. The real reason she couldn't sleep was because she was scared. What if one of those giant wasps came again? Who knew what types of creatures were in this jungle? Elena just closed her eyes and tried to think of something more pleasant. She was a Turk, she wasn't meant to be afraid.

Little did she know that less than a few minutes away from where her and Cid were resting, Reno was making his way to them.

Reno continued to follow the long path, beginning to think that it would never end. Now and then he had to re-cut some plants with his pocketknife. He wondered if the plants just grew really quickly, or if whoever came through just didn't cut it properly. He was hoping that it was Rude or Tseng who cut this trail. He had been having trouble getting along with the members of AVALANCHE. It wasn't that he didn't like them, they didn't like him. He didn't know why. He _thought_ he was probably the best ideal friend out of the lot of the Turks.

He pushed through a few more bushes to come to a surprise. Blood started pumping through his veins from the revelation. The moment he had been waiting for. He had finally caught up to them. He smiled widely when he saw Elena lay on the ground with her eyes closed. His smile instantly dropped when he saw Cid snoring, very very close to Elena. He didn't know why he felt a stab of jealousy go through his stomach when he saw how close they were, maybe the fact that Elena was a Turk and he felt like he was meant to be the one who lead her through this jungle, not Cid. Or maybe, he felt jealous for another reason? He shook the thought out of his head, Reno... Jealous? The jungle atmosphere was starting to make him think all sorts of crazy stuff.

He padded on the muddy grass over to his fellow Turk and then leant down. He shook her slightly on the shoulder and straight away Elena's eyes opened and she cringed in fear. Her chest was going up and down quickly and she was breathing heavily as if she had seen the ghost of Sephiroth. Reno frowned at her in confusion.

"You... okay?" He said slowly.

Elena caught her breath and sat up straighter as Reno continued to crouch beside her. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be in a high state of shock. She seemed unable to talk at first as she struggled to pull together a string of words but then she finally blurted out, "Thank God, you're alive!" She said as she practically jumped onto him pulling him into a tight gripped hug. He felt awkward at first, he had never hugged Elena, in fact he had never been so close to Elena. He patted her on the back and after a moment of espousal they pulled away from eachother, but were still quite close and Reno kept his arm placed on hers. "Are you hurt?" Elena said in concern.

He grinned, "I'm fine, a little tired but I'm fine. Are you okay? How has Cid been treating you?"

Elena scratched her head. "I guess I'm fine, considering the current situation we're all in. I won't lie, I've been scared here in the jungle, but now that your here I feel a little safer."

Reno smirked his usually smirk. Hearing that his presence made Elena feel protected was just what Reno need to boost his large ego. "Well, I'm guessing Cid cut this trail for you two in the jungle. I came across it and followed it."

"Lucky," Elena smiled. Very lucky, indeed. She couldn't believe her eyes when she opened them to see her favourite red-head.

"Yeah, I also saw what you two did to some giant bugs. Jeez, they smelt so bad." Reno explained.

Elena nodded. "Cid was cutting through the jungle with his spear and he accidently disturbed them. They chased us for some time until we finally stopped and killed them."

Reno chuckled evenly at the conclusion of Elena's sentence. Elena, she was so naïve. "You should get some sleep. We'll share stories tomorrow morning." Reno said as he stood up and walked over to a small free space where he could sleep. Elena watched him lay down and decided he was right. She lay back down and closed her eyes, now feeling a lot more comfortable that Reno was now with them.

* * *

**I guess this is another filler :S Jeez I need to stop writing these haha. Hopefully you liked it and let me know by reviewing! **

**Chapter 5 will be up in a few days so stay tuned! Oh and coming up in the next chapter: _Reno gets attacked by a spider, Cloud gets eaten by a plant and Vincent and Yuffie wander in a haunted forest :)_**

**Please Review! I work really hard on this story (This is my first proper story...)**


	5. Possessed Plants

**Chapter 5! YAY! Anyway, sorry for the pretty long wait. We didn't have internet for the last 5-6 days so I couldn't post. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)**

**Here's; Possessed Plants**

* * *

Possessed Plants

Tifa woke up in her uncomfortable position she had slept in the previous night. She was wedged between a tree and a large boulder that was covered in moss. Cloud was lying on the grass not far from her and Barret was slumped by a tree and a lot of thick grass surrounded him. Marlene was next to Barret, curled up in the tall, itchy grass that was uncomfortable for the young girl. Especially since Marlene wasn't used to sleeping in rough situations unlike Cloud, Tifa and Barret had countless times before. They had tried to walk around the mountain they came across the day before but soon found themselves lost in a jungle that was in the way. It was the same jungle the others had been slashing their way through. They hadn't got very far into it until it was too late and they decided to sleep.

Tifa pushed herself up, off the boulder and twisted her upper body to crack her back – as she did every morning. She took in the morning air that smelt like grass and a mixture of the plants that were in the jungle. The part of the jungle they were in wasn't as thick as the rest of it. Tifa could look up and still see parts of the sky through the gaps of the trees and they didn't have to cut through the jungle. They only really had to push through some plants and step over branches and similar. She pushed back a giant fern as she tried to reach the others. Over the night they had all spread out and were quite far from one another, but still close enough to see eachother.

She sat on top of the boulder she slept by and waited for the others to wake up. Almost as if on cue, Cloud woke up. He stood up and scratched his arms from sleeping on the itchy grass. He shook his head from the weariness that still remained from his sleep and ran his hands through his spikes, this was a normal habit that Cloud did every morning. He looked around the area around him until his eyes met Tifa's. He smiled at her and shoved himself off the grass and then walked towards her, still half asleep.

"Goodmorning." He said as he stood in front of her whilst she sat cross-legged on a boulder, like a little girl.

"Morning," She chirped, obviously ready to get going, "How was your sleep?"

"Meh, it could have been better." He said. "Shall we wake Barret and Marlene up? I really wanna get on with finding the others." He said as he yawned. Tifa smiled at the cuteness that was currently radiating off of him. He shook his head again trying to shake out the tiredness.

Tifa nodded and watched him walk over to Marlene and Barret. He patted Marlene on the shoulder and she woke up peacefully and gave Cloud a tired smile, one which Cloud returned. He helped her stand upright on her still weary feet and then nudged Barret on the shoulder. Barret didn't respond so Cloud shook him lightly. Still nothing. He shook Barret more aggressively and Barret made a groan as he finally woke up. He shook his head and sat upright.

"Man, why we gotta get up so early? I was gettin' to the good part of my dream." Barret complained as he stood up slowly, still half asleep.

After a few minutes of arguing with Barret the group started to walk further into the jungle. It wasn't long until Cloud had to begin using his sword to chop through the dense vegetation. The morning air quickly vanished aswell and they all found themselves sweating in the humidity. They walked in a single file, Cloud at the front, using the Buster Sword to slash through the jungle. Tifa was a few feet behind Cloud, feeling a little fatigued from the heat; she could feel the sweat on her forehead. Behind Tifa was Marlene who was pacing herself. She wasn't used to going through journeys like this. She had to admit, it was exciting but she was scared at the same time and was eager to get home. Barret was right behind Marlene, practically pushing her through the warmth.

"Maybe we should take a break." Tifa said whilst lightly panting from the long dreadful journey. She turned to see Marlene out of breath aswell. Cloud nodded in agreement.

Tifa pulled a few plants out of the ground to make a spot for her to sit. She felt like she was gardening like back home. Barret did the same for Marlene while he and Cloud just stood there. "There's no room to really rest around here." Barret said.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but by the looks of things we aren't going to be finding any clear areas soon so we may aswell rest here."

"I'm so thirsty." Tifa said as she wiped sweat off her forehead.

"We all are. Hopefully we run into a lake or something in here soon or we'll dehydrate." Cloud said. It was true; they didn't have any supplies with them except their weapons.

"I'm hungry." Marlene whined from her spot amongst the shrubbery.

"I know baby, but you'll just have to wait." Barret said to her and then he scanned the jungle. "We're in a jungle so we should come across some fruit or somethin'."

Cloud nodded, "I'm surprised we haven't seen any berry bushes or banana trees."

"Or wild pigs." Barret muttered as he wrapped a hand around his gun arm.

"I hope the others are in a better situation then us." Tifa said.

Cloud nodded and stepped back onto a plant. He stumbled backwards over it but he caught his balance quickly and managed not too fall. Then, all of a sudden the bud-like plant's petals flung open and caught Cloud's right leg and then snapped shut again into the giant bud it once was

"Holy crap!" Barret exclaimed as he saw the plant grab Clouds leg. It was like a giant bud, double the size of a human and it was unnoticed before because it blended in so well with the environment. Soon, thick clear sticky substance started to ooze out of the sides of the plants petals as it attempted to swallow Cloud. Tifa was quick to react and launched up and kicked the plant furiously. The plant didn't budge, it was strong, the exterior of the leaf-like petals was insanely hard and no kicks or punches would affect it.

Barret raised his gun arm and shot at the plant continuously, careful not to hit Cloud, but the bullets didn't make a difference. It was shielded from all attacks.

"Uncle Cloud!" Marlene cried in fear as she watched his leg disappear into the plants mouth. Cloud twisted his upper body and slashed at the plant with his sword but it didn't make a difference. His right leg was now numb and he could feel his waist going into the plant. Tifa quickly kicked several times at the plant but it still didn't dislodge. Barret continued to shoot at it while Marlene just covered her eyes with her hands and cried in fear.

After a desperate amount of fails at attacking the plant, Tifa gave up attacking and tried a new tactic. Tifa ran over to Cloud and gripped his arms and tried, with all her strength, to pull him out. Barret saw her new plan and joined her. He grabbed Clouds other arm and used his tremendous strength to pull him out. Tifa strained with all her power to heave him out but it felt like he was compacted into the plant.

"Come on you stupid plant!" Tifa shouted in anger as she continued to try dragging Cloud out. She wasn't about to lose him to a plant.

"Do you got any materia?" Barret said as he strained his arms to pull his best friend out.

"No, Yuffie has it all." Tifa was beginning to weaken and she could feel the power draining from her arms as she pulled Cloud. Without warning, a vine from the base of the plant coiled up and wrapped itself around Tifa's neck. The vine tightened its grip around her neck and Tifa soon found herself struggling to breathe causing her to release Clouds arm. The vine pushed her back a few feet away from the plant and Cloud and tightened its grip even tighter around her neck.

"Teef!" Cloud exclaimed as he saw the vine come out of nowhere. He swung his sword and tried to cut through the vine but it was hard for him since half his body had vanished and Barret had his left arm. He saw Tifa's face begin to whiten and become paler and paler by the second. He tried to pull himself out of the plant to get to his best friend but he was now belly deep into it. Barret didn't know what to do. He couldn't let go of Cloud and let the plant swallow him, but he couldn't just leave the vine to strangle Tifa to death. He bullied his mind into thinking faster but was getting no ideas. Finally, Barret grabbed Cloud's sword out of his hand and used it to cut the vine and then he went back to pulling Cloud out. Cloud could see sweat beginning to drip from Barret's forehead and he saw him gritting his teeth as he tried to pull him out.

Marlene ran to Tifa who was on the dirt, breathless. She was panting heavily and gasping for air. Marlene pulled the remaining vines off her and said to Tifa, "Breath Aunty Teef, breathe." Marlene looked over to her dad as he tried to pull the half swallowed Cloud out. She saw the Buster Sword on the floor a few feet away from her and she looked at it, and then at the plant, and then at the sword, and the plant again. She stood up from her spot next to the pale Tifa and ran to the sword. She picked it up, but it was very heavy for her - a lot heavier than she expected, and she swung it at the base of the plant. It cut through a little of the base and the bud's petals opened as it screeched it pain.

Cloud immediately slipped out of the plants grip and he fell on Barret who fell on his bottom onto the ground. Marlene swung the sword again and cut through more of the base of the plant. Barret stood up quickly – pushing Cloud off him – and took the sword from Marlene and swung it more powerfully through the rest of the plant. The plant screeched and then it withered to the ground, dead.

Barret was huffing for breath and he collapsed down onto the ground to regain his strength. He was completely worn out. He lay there powerless and breathless. Tifa sat on the soil coughing and she looked over at Cloud. He was lying on the ground - half his body covered in the thick clear substance - staring at the sky. Tifa reached forward for his hand and ran her thumb in circles on his palm to try soothing him.

"You okay?" She asked as she felt the colour returning to her face.

Cloud shifted his head and looked at her, "That was so weird."

Tifa laughed and looked over to see a worn out Barret. She saw Marlene standing not far from him. "Marlene, you little hero!" She said with a grin.

Cloud sat up and grinned at her, "You saved our lives Marlene. Smart thinking."

Marlene just blushed in embarrassment. Barret finally gathered his strength and sat up, "That's my girl." He said as he shook her on the shoulder. "Yuck Cloud, get that stuff off of you." He said in disgust as he saw the clear slime still on Cloud's lower body.

Tifa moved over to Cloud and used a handkerchief to wipe it off.

"Are you okay?" Cloud said to her in concern.

"I'm fine; it just felt like that plant was draining my energy. I didn't like it at all. It made me weaker by just trying to attack it and then I felt powerless when it attacked me," She admitted.

"I know what you mean. I think we have to be a lot more cautious of the plants here from now on."

"Definitely, I don't want that happening again."

He chuckled, "For a moment there, I thought I was going to lose my life to a plant."

Tifa smiled at him, "But you didn't." She said as she tilted her head.

"I know." He looked thoughtful and smiled, "But out of all the things we've gone through, I never imagined a plant taking us out."

She laughed lightly, "Neither have I. This weekend certainly hasn't turned out as planned."

"Far from what I pictured anyway." Cloud said as he looked back at her.

"What did you picture then, Cloud?" Tifa said curiously.

"You and I, relaxing on the sundeck of that cruise ship that is now at the bottom of the ocean." Cloud said looking at nothing imparticular but with another thinking expression. He turned his head to her, "And what did you have planned for this weekend?"

"The exact same." She smiled.

It was silent for a while and Tifa looked over to Barret and Marlene who weren't far. "She shouldn't be here." She said seriously.

"Who?" Cloud asked as he raised a brow, he turned his head to look where she was looking to see Barret and Marlene in their own conversation, laughing. "Marlene?"

Tifa nodded. "She is only a kid; she shouldn't be put through things like this. She should be home, safe."

Cloud looked back at her. It didn't take him long to figure out that behind those words, she was really referring to Denzel. He leaned closer to her and put a reassuring hand on her knee. "Denzel will be home safe, as soon as we find him."

Tifa turned her head to look at him, her eyes glistening from the fresh tears that were beginning to build up in them. "Will we find him?" She said with hope.

Cloud looked down at his hands. He had been thinking about Denzel aswell. He had been avoiding the very question that Tifa had just asked. He looked up at her. "The best way to find something, is to look."

Tifa lightly faked a smile at that. "Atleast it's not false hope." She said.

Barret and Marlene staggered over to them through the plants. "Should we keep goin'?"

"Yeah, lets," Cloud said as he and Tifa stood up.

* * *

"I still can't believe that out of all the people who coulda found us, it ends up being you." Cid said for the 5th time, referring to Reno who joined him and Elena. They were currently walking through the jungle, it had cleared up and Cid didn't have to use his spear anymore to cut through the plants.

"And I can't believe that out of all the people I could have found, I found you." Reno repeated for the 5th time.

"Can you two stop picking on one another? If we're going to find the others, we have to get along, okay?" Elena said, obviously fed up listening to the two of them bickering.

Cid sighed, "Only for your sake, Elena."

Reno glared at him and Cid turned around and continued leading the trio through the jungle with his spear in his hand. Cid walked at the front and Reno and Elena walked side by side behind him. Cid's eyes amplified when he saw light peering through the treetops.

"First sign of sunlight I've seen for nearly a day in this godforsaken jungle." Cid commented as he looked up to see parts of the blue sky through the gaps of the treetops.

Elena smiled, "Maybe we're getting close to getting out of here. It'll be nice to shake the nervousness away."

"Nervousness?" Reno questioned as he cocked an eyebrow

"I can't help but feel like something is following us or something is going to jump out of the tall grass at some point." Elena explained as she eyed her surroundings.

"Don't worry, Elena, I'm here to make sure you're safe." Reno smirked and then Cid started to burst out laughing.

Reno frowned at him, "What's so funny?"

Cid's laughing slowly came to a stop but the grin on his face still remained. "Do I need to explain?"

"Hmph." Reno said as he pushed passed Cid, "Elena don't worry, I'll kill the giant wasps before they even get the chance to look at you. I'm fearless." Almost as if on cue, Reno turned to reveal a giant spider on his back. Elena didn't know how big the spider was but she could surely say it was about the size of a dinner plate. Elena squeaked in fear as she saw the huge insect.

Cid's eyes widened at the size of the thing. "Reno stay still there's a spider on you!"

Reno just turned to look at Cid with a face that said – _what-the-hell-makes-you-think-I-would-believe-you?_ But then he saw Elena's frightened face and her shaking arm that was pointing at him frantically. He slightly turned his head to look behind him and he saw 3 very long black, stick-like legs.

"HOLY SHIT! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF ME!" Reno said as he frenetically twisted and turned on the spot. Cid came forward and bashed at the spider with his spear, hitting Reno at the same time, but he didn't mind. Elena came up to help.

She picked up a branch from the ground and swung it to hit Reno on the shoulder.

"Watch it you two!" He shouted.

"Stay still!" Elena said as she re-tried hitting the spider but before she had the second chance, Cid's spear intersected and flicked the spider off. As soon as the spider landed onto the ground it scuttled away into the intense vegetation, disappearing from their view.

They all stood there for a few seconds, unmoving, expressionless, just staring at the plant that the spider had disappeared by. Reno then shook his arms and legs and made a pure expression of disgust on his face.

"You okay?" Cid said

"No." Reno said still feeling creeped out. He looked over at Elena who had a smile on her face and her arms folded. "What?" he asked.

"Fearless ai?" She smirked and walked passed him and continued following Cid, leaving Reno behind.

"Coming red-head?" Cid said over his shoulder.

Reno just made an inappropriate sound in response and then, against his own will, reluctantly followed Cid.

* * *

"There's something really weird about this island." Yuffie said as she eyed her surroundings. They had been walking aimlessly around on the island since they had woken up and climbed down the rest of the mountain they slept on. Then suddenly out of nowhere they came across a sign. The sign was old; the wood it was made out of was rotting. It had some strange symbols, not English, drawn on it and a splatter of blood on the corner and some of the symbols at the bottom had been crossed out.

"Can you read it?" Vincent asked.

"What? That? No." Yuffie said astonished that Vincent would even consider her able to read that.

"Do you think this is a warning sign?"

"Probably is. I reckon it says, 'Beware' or 'Caution' on it."

Vincent nodded and looked passed the old sign. More than a few feet away from the sign were a line of pine trees and some dead, leafless trees. The forest that was behind the sign certainly did look rather haunting and dark.

"Should we go in there?" Vincent asked.

"Into the graveyard of trees? Um, I'd rather stay out of a spooky story thanks. Let's take the signs estimated advice and go back." Yuffie said.

"Why do you think it's got a caution sign in front of it?" Vincent asked he was obviously intrigued by the forest.

"Probably because there are monsters in there."

"Or because they are trying to stop us from going in there." Vincent pointed out. Yuffie didn't like where this was going.

"And their trying to stop us from going in there because there are monsters."

"Or their hiding something." Vincent said as he looked at the forest suspiciously. Yuffie just stood there staring at him, her face emotionless but her eyes wide with a hint of fear in them.

"You want to go in there, don't you?" she said with uncertainty looping through her words.

"I think that this may lead us to some answers about this island. Perhaps, it will give us the information we need to find our friends."

"I'm not too keen to go in there." Yuffie indicated.

Vincent looked at her with a subtle smirk. "You're not scared, are you?"

Yuffie's eyes widened, "What? No, no. I'm not scared. Not at all. I mean, what's to be scared of?" She said quickly.

"Well like you said, there is a possibility that there are monsters lurking in the shadows. We haven't seen any fauna on this island and if it matches the environment, I'd imagine these 'monsters' wouldn't be very welcoming."

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Vincent." Yuffie said with a lack of humour.

"It's good to know we're thinking alike at the moment, Yuffie." Vincent said with a subtle smile as he kept his gaze firmly on the trees.

Yuffie just looked at him, blankly. Not sharing his interest in this haunted scenery. She decided that if Vincent and she had 'similar' interests than he might pay some more attention to her. She giggled inside her head at the idea. "It's hauntingly beautiful, Vincent." Yuffie said with an ear to ear grin.

Vincent looked at her, "Then why hesitate? Let's go." Vincent said and started to walk towards the haunted forest.

She didn't expect that.

"Uh, er," Yuffie stammered. She looked up at the sky to see it starting to turn a shade of grey. She looked back at Vincent who was a few steps away from the forest. She sighed and then quickly ran to catch up to him.

* * *

"I still cannot believe that you found us." Denzel repeated to Red as they continued to walk through the jungle.

"Neither can I. I have to say, it was Tseng's intuition that made us found you." Red looked over at Tseng who was leading the group through the jungle with Rude next to him. "Or maybe he was just fussy and didn't want to sleep in the mud."

Denzel and Red both began to laugh. "Well, it doesn't matter how you found us, Red. As long as we're all together."

Red sighed. "We're not all together." He glanced behind his shoulder to see Cait wandering not far behind.

"Red," Denzel asked from beside him, "Do you think the others survived?"

Red looked at Denzel. He had to admit, he did doubt that they all survived the storm but he couldn't tell that to Denzel. The boy was only young, he deserved reassurance. "I think they did Denzel. Do you really think that a few waves could overpower the people who saved the planet?" It was a rhetorical question that Red was asking, but he needed the assurance aswell that his friends had survived.

Denzel smiled, "Yeah, of course they survived."

The jungle was beginning to clear more and they soon found themself walking amongst trees and shrubbery that were spaced out a lot more comfortably.

"I estimate that we are nearing the end of this jungle." Red spoke up.

"I agree with you, Nanaki." Tseng said as he strained his eyes to try seeing into the rest of the jungle, but he still couldn't see the ending. But he still had that feeling. That feeling that they were not going to pass through this jungle unharmed. Almost another hour aimlessly wandering around the Jungle went by until Denzel spoke up.

"What's that?" He said.

"What's what?" Cait added, saying what everyone was thinking.

"That, that glowing thing." Denzel explained as he pointed his arm, further into the black shadows of the jungle to everyone's far left. Tseng stepped beside Denzel and bent his knee's a little to be a similar height to him. He squinted his eyes as he peered into the unsettling darkness. After his eye's adjusting to the shadows he soon saw a very vague blue glow.

"Oh I see it!" Cait piped

"Yeah, me too." Rude said, "Do you think it's worth taking us off-track, Tseng? Or shall we just continue?"

It would have been wiser to just continue heading the direction they already were, but curiosity was what made this decision for Tseng. "I think it's worth taking a look at."

"Is it wise to be distracted by a feeble glow in the dark?" Tseng heard Red say from behind him. "It could just be some discarded materia or something less valuable."

"Do you not wonder what type of materia could be on this uninhabited island? How rare would materia on this island be? We could make quite a large amount of gil if we returned with new materia. How can we pass up an opportunity like this?" Tseng said, influencing Rude to agree with him. Red however, was still not convinced.

"I am not convinced. I think we should just continue the path we are currently on." Red said.

"What path!" Tseng said, raising his voice. "We are in the middle of a jungle. How do we know we are going the right way? We are lost on a secluded island in the middle of a hot jungle. Maybe this glowing sensation over there will give us some new knowledge of where we are."

Red couldn't help but notice how Tseng had called the glow a 'glowing sensation.' "I do not want to go down there. I want to keep going and I am going to keep going." Red said firmly.

"Very well," Tseng said, "I'm disappointed in you, Nanaki. I thought you would be one who would be as fascinated as I am. Does anyone wish to join me on this sudden manoeuvre?"

Red was stunned. He was only truly bluffing and he thought Tseng would forget about it and continue going the way they originally were. He wasn't surprised, however, when Rude decided to go with Tseng. Offcourse Turks would stick together, and Red just respected that than think less of Rude.

"Anyone else who would like to join me?" Tseng said. Denzel just gripped onto Red's fur and Cait didn't look like he was going anywhere.

Red didn't like the idea of them splitting up. No, he wasn't going to be as foolish as getting them split up again. He only had once choice for their survival. He sighed and stepped forward and noted how Tseng's eyes widened. "I am no fool, Tseng. We will not split up."

"We go to the light." Tseng said determinedly and Red nodded, feeling a subtle weakness in his bones.

Tseng didn't know why he felt this glowing light was so important, but he had this feeling from it. This gut feeling. Like the light was pulling him to it. He was;

Hypnotized.

* * *

**It may seem like there is random areas on this island... I'll have you all know that it's a very big island with many different locations (Such as haunted forests and jungles...) **

**Hmmmm... I wonder what Yuffie and Vincent will come across in that forest. Haha, well please review to find out :)**

**Thanks for reading and please REVIEW! Even if it's just one word saying - 'cool' **

**Fallen Angel 24 x**


	6. Wings Of A Shadow

**I am so sorry that this took so long! I've had exams and have been studying a lot, but their over now so updating will be more frequent now :) And sorry for any errors, as I said, I did this quickly and did my editing 5 minutes ago and it's currently 12:54 am :| **

**And a huge thank you to: **

**vLuna**

**Silverofaheartless**

**JiLLiBeanz**

**Volixia669**

**ChaosAngel4us**

**But anyway; Enjoy Wings of a Shadow**

* * *

Wings of the Shadows

"What's happening to the plants?" Elena asked as she, Reno and Cid continued to walk through the jungle.

"What do you mean?" Cid said from the front of the single file they travelled in. He was at the front; Reno in the middle, Elena at the back.

"Well, look at them. They're starting to die here." She said as she looked at them. It was true, the further they continued to walk into the jungle, the more lifeless the plants began to look like. They were getting smaller and drier. Some shrubs were losing its lush green colour and some trees were coming across dead and losing leaves.

"I don't care." Cid said over his shoulder, "If the plants dying means that the jungle becomes easier and clearer to walk through, then I'm all for it."

Elena had to agree with him but she couldn't help but find it strange. Maybe the plants were beginning to die in this part of the jungle for a reason and she wasn't anxious to find out why they were on its last roots. She looked in front of her to see the back of Reno. He had been quiet all day. This was rather unusual for him. It was day two on the island and they hadn't made much progress other than finding Reno, who actually had found them. She looked down at the dried up grass and the dry soil that was beneath her feet. Her feet were starting to hurt; she wasn't in suitable shoes for all this walking. She could feel the dull and blunt pain on the sides of her feet with every step she took. Brilliant, blisters, just what she needed. She had continuously asked Cid if they could have a rest every hour but he always responded with, "I want to go further" or a "In a few minutes." A few minutes never came…

"Look on the bright side, Elena." Reno said he was now a few metres in front of her. She realised that her thoughts had slowed her walking pace down, not to mention her sore feet were making walking a real bitch. "Atleast the air has cleared here." She smiled at Reno who was trying to cheer her up. He could be nice when he wanted to be – which was rare.

"What the hell?" Cid suddenly said in a louder tone. He had walked out of Reno's view and was quite a bit in front of him and Elena. Reno jogged to stand next to Cid and soon Elena joined him. Right in front of Reno he could see a cliff.

"Aw, Come on! Are you serious! All this walking… And it leads to a dead end." Reno exclaimed.

Cid looked down to see the bottom of the cliff face. He could make out the thin line of a river. The gap wasn't too big, but it was too big to jump. He wasn't going to risk his life jumping to the other side. The drop down the cliff looked around 60 to 80 feet. The gap separating them from the other side was about 20 to 30 feet. It annoyed Cid how he could see the other side so clearly and so close but he could get there.

"Dammit." He muttered under his breath. There had to be a way.

Reno looked around, obviously unhappy with their current situation. Then something in the distance caught his eye. "Is that a bridge?" Reno said as he looked down longways.

Cid looked over to where Reno was pointing. It was far away but through the morning mist he could make out what looked like a wooden bridge. He nodded and let Reno lead the way. The three of them walked cautiously along the edge of the mighty drop and as they got closer to the bridge Elena spotted something she didn't like. The bridge was made out of wooden planks and had rotten rope as the railing. It looked like it would snap at any moment.

"Are you sure that's sturdy?" Elena said as they neared the bridge.

"Doesn't look to good up close, does it?" Cid said, agreeing with her.

"It's the only way across." Reno said eager to get to the other side. He probably wouldn't admit it but he was starting to miss his best friend, Rude.

"I'm not crossing that." Elena protested.

"We have no other choice." Reno said calmly. The three of them stood there for a while in silence, looking at one another and then at the bridge and then looking at eachother again.

"Okay, let's cross." Cid said. He looked over at Elena who didn't look to happy. "Reno's right, we either cross or go back and I'll be damned if I have to walk all that way back because I was too chicken to cross a bridge."

Elena stood in silence for a while, but she couldn't help it, she knew they were right and Elena wasn't the most prideful person around. "Fine." She gave in.

Cid smiled and Reno nodded.

"So who's first?" Cid asked.

"How about you? Since you're so eager." Elena shot back still unhappy about the current circumstances.

"Oh go eat some lard." Cid said.

"I'll do it." Reno said.

"You'll eat some lard?" Elena asked doubtfully.

Reno just glared at her and then nodded towards the bridge. He walked over to it. Reno was first to step onto the bridge. He put his right foot onto the first plank and tested to see if it was sturdy. The bridge swayed a little but it didn't snap. He gripped his hands onto the roped rails at both his sides. He took another step forward and now was on the bridge. He turned back to see a worried Elena and a probing Cid. Cid nodded at him and Reno gave them thumbs up. He took a few more steps cautiously and then said over his shoulder, "I think it's safe." He heard Cid behind him agree and then he could feel the bridge rock a little as Cid stepped on. Both men walked a little further, Reno a metre in front of Cid. Cid then turned around when Reno reached halfway.

"Come on Elena." He said.

Elena hesitantly stepped onto the first plank and repeated to herself in her head, 'Don't look down, don't look down.' She clutched onto the ropes and slowly took a few more steps. With every step they took the bridge swayed a little and Elena cringed. She was 80 feet in the air, standing on planks of old wood with nothing underneath and the only thing keeping her up was some tied up pieces of old, rotting rope. Reno, who was at the front, took a few more steps until he was about 8 or so feet from the other side, but he stopped. He didn't know why at first, his actions were subconscious, but almost immediately he felt his guts tighten. He looked back to see the same expression on Cid and Elena looked as nervous as anything.

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when almost 100 black shadows flew from beneath the bridge. At first they were all a black blur that was shooting up around him. He tried to look closer but didn't have much time until one of the bird-like creatures swopped at him. He heard Cid swearing from behind him and he could hear the frightened screams coming from Elena. Reno pulled out his rod and hit the swooping bird with a shock of lightning. Another bird came at him and he ducked from it and he hit another bird with lightning. As Reno saw another bird coming down at him from the sky he realised something; they weren't birds.

They were some type of mutated crow crossed with a lizard. They had the shape of a bird, big wings, beak and claws. But they didn't have black feathers, they had jet-black shiny scales and their claws were as sharp as razors. Reno hit another one with his rod and then dodged another bird that was coming at him. He swung himself around and kicked 2 of the mutant crows away but at the same time felt something cold and sharp dig into his back. He groaned at the prickly and tingly feeling that was beginning to hurt on his back.

"They're everywhere!" Reno shouted. When Reno looked up he couldn't see much of the sky, only some patches of grey-blue amongst blurs of black. A whole flock of the creatures towered above them. He quickly glanced at Cid who was fighting them off with his spear.

Cid pivoted on the spot and stabbed a bird in the wing and then he turned and smashed his spear against 2 other birds. He ducked as 3 of them swooped down at him and he dodged an attack from another at his side. He spun his spear in the air and killed 2 more and then he twisted and stabbed another. His spear continued to drive through creature after creature but it didn't seem like their numbers were falling. One of the bird-like-lizard-mutants then darted at Cid at full power and bashed itself against him. He lost his balance and stumbled back onto the rope. The action caused the hold bridge to punch to the right and caused Reno and Elena to lose their balance.

Reno shrieked as he nearly lost his grip on his nightstick. He felt something cold and wet against his face and jerked back in response. He raised his hand to the side of his head, above his ear and pulled it away to see red. 'Now how did that happen?' he asked himself. He pushed himself off the rope and felt the whole bridge swing and just prayed that he didn't cause Elena or Cid to fall off from that small movement. He felt one of the birds fly into the back of his head and another swoop at his feet causing him to fall to his knees on the wooden planks. Double hit! He quickly recovered and swung his body to shoot at another bird that was coming at him. He could already feel the burning pain at the back of his head.

Elena squealed as she ducked from another one of the creatures. She stood up straight and then shot 3 more of the birds in front of her with her gun and then swayed to the left to avoid another bird. She shot another bird down and saw another one bolting at her. Her heat beat increased another 100 beats per second as she fumbled for her grip on the gun and put her finger to the trigger. She shot the bird just in time before it ran into her. She felt something sharp drive deeply into the back of her left leg and she immediately lost power in it. She stumbled and clutched onto the rope, causing her head to thrust forward from the force and look down. Her eyes widened as she saw another creature approaching her. She ducked and ran forward a little towards Cid, but had to stop to shoot more of the monsters.

Suddenly a crack of lightning appeared up in the clouds and rain began to hammer down. They were all so busy fighting they hadn't even realised that a storm was approaching. The birds all retreated back down to the bottom of the cliff, where they came from to get out of the hard rain. Reno looked over at Cid but could hardly see anything because of the mist the rain created. He decided to make a run for it and get across the rest of the bridge. Cid followed his actions unconsciously and behind him, Elena ran across the bridge too. They all made it to the other side and were all soaked to the skin. The rain hurt against their agonising bodies and it felt like the sky was going to fall on them.

Cid motioned them to follow him and they ran further into the dead forest. After minutes of searching they soon found themselves standing in front of a hut. Reno went into the hut and motioned them to follow. Cid and Elena went into the huts willingly. Reno straight away fell to the ground in exhaustion and Cid mirrored his actions. Elena leant against the door to the hut and then slumped down onto the ground. They all were breathless and panting heavily. Reno was the first to say something.

"Where… the hell… are we?" he said between breaths. He sat up and looked around the hut they had found. The hut walls were made of logs and branches and a few twigs here and there. The roof was made of sticks and leaves and had vines tied around in various places to hold it all together. There was no floor, just dusty soil. Everytime someone placed their hand on the ground or took a step, they would cause some of the dusty particles to float up into the air. The hut was only small and was about the size of an average bedroom. In the corner was a bucket that was filled with dirty water and not far from where Cid was lying was a strange beanbag like chair. Reno examined it closer to see it was made out of strange vinelike plants that had been weaved and braided together and inside was grass or hay.

"First sign of civilisation we've seen so far." Elena commented from her resting position against the wooden door they had walked through.

"So this place isn't deserted after all." Reno said looking around from where he sat on the floor.

Cid sat up and wiped his forehead. "Is everyone okay?"

Elena looked down at herself. At the back of her left leg she had a deep cut from one of the claws of those creatures. The pain hadn't decreased since they were on the bridge and the trouncing rain hadn't helped at all. She had to admit it wasn't a life threatening injury but she certainly wouldn't be able to walk very far on it. "I'm bleeding at the back of my left leg. Other than that, nothing but bruises and scratches."

Cid pulled himself over to Elena and examined her left leg.

"She okay?" Reno said.

Cid shook his head. The materials of the pants Elena wore were ripped and shredded at the back of her left leg and was drenched in blood. Cid ripped the sleave off his sweater and then tied it tightly around her leg to stop the bleeding.

"What about you two, are you guys okay?" Elena said wearily. She was exhausted and in agony but was too tired to feel the full effect of the pain.

"I'm fine." Cid said and then shifted his eyesight to Reno. "You?"

Reno lifted his hand to the back of his head and then looked at his hand to see blood. The pain had started to reduce but it still bothered him, and it brought along a killer headache. He had a deep gash above his ear on the side of his face too but he didn't really feel it. Reno also had an injury on his left ankle, but that was nothing either, just a cut.

"I'll live." He said.

Cid stood up and he could still hear the downpour of rain against the roof. "Looks like we're stuck here for a while."

* * *

Rain continued to strike down on Vincent and Yuffie as they ran through the haunted, lifeless forest. It was only morning but the sky was grey as it brewed another deadly storm. The rain was heavy and hard to stand straight in. Yuffie struggled to run with Vincent as she could feel the pelting rain weaken her. The roots from the trees in the ground were incredibly huge and hard to avoid, especially when you're running with your eyes half closed. Vincent and Yuffie could hardly see as they tried to look for some type of shelter.

Suddenly, Vincent stopped in his tracks and caused Yuffie to run into him.

"I hate how you do that!" Yuffie exclaimed. This was what? The third time she had run into him? The rain was coming down so hard now that it was bruising Yuffie.

"Can you see any shelter?" Vincent shouted above the rain.

Yuffie swivelled on the spot searching desperately for a way out of the rain. Then out of nowhere the rain stopped pouring on her. Well it still continued to rain but she wasn't getting wet anymore. She looked up to see Vincent's cape over top of her, shielding her from the heavy shower.

Vincent tried to cover Yuffie with his cape as much as he could so the rain wouldn't plummet on her. He had noticed how she was slowly weakening in the rain. He didn't blame her, he was struggling to not collapse to the ground in the rain. It felt like someone was throwing rocks at him. If he couldn't find any shelter for her, the least he could do was try and protect her from the rain.

They stood there for who knows long. Yuffie just stood, shivering while Vincent covered her with his cape. The two of them in the middle of a lifeless forest, standing in the freezing rain that pounded down on them. 'How romantic,' Yuffie thought to herself sarcastically. She crept in closer to Vincent's body and hugged him. Vincent stiffened from the gesture as he felt Yuffie cling to his shirt.

After a few minutes of holding his breath and attempting not to make one move, Vincent finally relaxed in Yuffie's arms. He then buried his head into her soft, wet hair and felt light warmness radiating off her body. At this moment, he really wanted to wrap his arms around her but he had to use his arms to hold his cape up.

The rain started to die down a little but not completely, a light drizzle still remained but it was bearable. Vincent lowered his aching arm (from holding his cape up) and patted Yuffie on the back unconscientiously. "You okay?" he said and she looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm fine thanks to you." Yuffie said and made Vincent turn away – blushing pink.

"W-we should continue looking for sh-shelter." He stuttered. Vincent cursed at himself for getting nervous from a simple gesture.

Yuffie looked down at her feet and then back at Vincent. She nodded and watched him turn and start leading the way. She sighed and started walking after him.

* * *

"You try it first." Barret said as he eyed the strange fruit Cloud was holding. They hadn't eaten for two days and were all starving and yearning to jump for the fruit. But they still had some self control to know that the fruit on this island could have some unwanted side effects.

"Do you wanna try it?" Cloud said to Tifa, obviously not wanting to be the guinea pig to try it first.

Tifa looked at the fruit more closely. It was round and the size of a melon but the texture was very smooth and it had a very faint coating of fur around it. It was pure red all over and from afar would look like a giant apple or a giant cherry. Tifa hesitantly took the fruit out of Clouds hands. It was surprisingly heavy and was rather soft.

"Do you eat the outside?" Tifa said, clueless whether to peel the skin of it off or to just take a bite.

Cloud just shrugged his shoulders while Barret kept an oblivious expression. She looked down to see a curious and hungry Marlene. Then Marlene opened her mouth.

"Maybe we should cut it in half with Uncle Cloud's sword." Marlene suggested.

Cloud raised his brows in surprise. "Brilliant idea, I don't know why I didn't think of that."

Marlene just grinned in response.

Cloud swung his sword around from behind him and the cut the fruit in half, not even giving Tifa a second to prepare herself. She shrieked from his quick movement. "Well, aren't you eager?" Tifa said eyeing Cloud.

"Just hurry up and try it." Cloud said, he was starving and was getting sick off all this hesitation. If Tifa didn't take a bite soon he would probably cry right in front of her. How manly, crying because he was hungry.

Tifa looked down at the fruit that was now split into two in her hands. The inside was a peachy colour and it looked rather moist inside. Juicy. Tifa lifted one half to her nose and smelt it. It smelt like a citrus fruit. She raised the side of the fruit to her mouth and took a bite. The fruit was insanely succulent and she could feel the juice from the fruit starting to run down her chin. It was definitely ripe. It tasted like strawberries but it had the texture of a citrus fruit. Either way, it was edible and tasted good. She nodded and then watched Cloud hungrily grab the other half out of her other hand and cut it in half. He gave one half to Barret and the other half to Marlene. He repeated the action with the half that Tifa had bitten out of. Finally, he got a bite and felt a wave of euphoria go through his body.

They all sat down and continued to eat their quarter each. Barret finished eating first and Cloud finished second. Tifa was next to finish eating and Marlene was last.

"Can you see anymore?" Cloud said, obviously not satisfied that there was none left.

"No. The amount of fruit on this island is really sparse." Tifa said as she looked at the trees around them.

They all stood up and dusted themselves off. "So shall we continue-" Barret began but was cut off by a spear that pierced the tree next to him. "What the?" He said. Another spear shot out of the bushes and aimed at Cloud, but Cloud's catlike instincts made him dodge it easily.

Two more spears came out, another aimed at Cloud and one aimed at Marlene. Fortunately Tifa was close enough to kick the spear away from Marlene while Cloud jumped out of the way of the one that was coming at him.

"Where are they coming from?" Tifa said as she frantically looked around.

Cloud scanned his surroundings very carefully and then he spotted some sort of creature within the tight vegetation. It was humanoid in shape but was covered in fur. It was like a human ape or something, but he didn't get a good enough look until another spear came at him.

Tifa kicked and dodged out of the way of the spears that came at her and at the same time she tried to defend Marlene. She caught a glimpse of some sort of human gorilla in the distance but it was shot down. She looked over at Barret, who had shot the primate down. He gave her a thumbs up and went back to shooting at more of the monkeys that surrounded them.

Barret gunned down 3 more of the apes.

"AH RATATATATATATATATA!" He shouted as he shot aimlessly at the surrounding vegetation. The apes were hard to spot but he knew they were within the plants surrounding him. So he decided to just shoot everywhere and hope for the best.

"AH RATATATATATA! ATATATA!" He shouted like a maniac as he continued shooting everywhere. Tifa continued to dodge and duck at the numerous spears that kept flying her direction. She decided to take the role of protecting Marlene since Barret was too busy firing wildly.

"Are you even hitting any?" Cloud shouted to Barret over his gun fire.

"Let's hope." He responded as he continued to shoot everywhere.

Slowly the spears started taking longer to fire at them and soon, there were no more. Barret stopped firing and there were no more spears for Cloud or Tifa to dodge. "Did you kill them all?" Tifa asked.

Barret shrugged as he looked around.

"What were they?" Marlene asked, from her spot behind Tifa.

"They looked like human gorillas to me." Cloud said. "First sign of fauna we've seen on this island."

"First sign of a threat too. Looks like we're gonna have to keep our eyes opened now." Tifa said as she looked around. It still felt like there were more around, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

"I think we should get a move on." Cloud said, having the same feeling as Tifa.

* * *

"Sire. We have visitors." One of the men said as they approached their leader.

"It's true, sir. A couple of the Renpau came across them in the Jungle on the eastern side of the island." Another man said.

"How many were there?" Their leader asked.

"The surviving Renpau counted 4. There was one with blonde spiky hair that wielded a sword. One with long dark hair and a little one hid behind her. And a big fat one, according to the Renpau who survived."

"How many Renpau did they kill?"

"5 sir. Only 2 survived. They said the fat one had a strange machine and was shooting killer seeds at them."

"Killer seeds?" The leader raised a brow.

"Killer seeds, sir."

"What shall we do, sir?" Another man spoke up.

"Order the Lexigen and the Renpau to exterminate them before they become a threat."

"Exterminate, sir?"

"Kill them." He said as he turned and walked further into his sleeping quarters of the tent.

* * *

**Please read: I do not think that Barret is fat, that is what those creatures think :) **

**The Renpau (Ren-Paw) are the primitive creatures on the island, I made them up for the story haha. And the Lexigen will be introduced further into the story, so you'll have to stick around and see :)**

**Also note, I have no idea if Elena is in character or not, I've made her to be a kinda anxious person, I don't think she really is though. But unfortunately I have never paid too mcuh attention to Elena and I've always seen her like this. I apologise to any die-hard fans who are finding my portrayal of Elena insulting to FFVII because I really don't mean to. Please let me know if it's really bothering you and I'll try change things a bit for you.**

**Thank you for reading this chapter and Please Review and I had to tell someone the other day that You don't need to be a member to review on this, you can post even if your not a member. So feel free to give me your thoughts on this story.**

**The Fallen Angel xx**


	7. Mesmerized

**I know I said updating would be more frequent but I had some trouble writing this one so I had a bit of a writers block, and then when I started to write it I had some awful news that my grandmother was really sick so we had to fly over to see her. It was a 3 day trip there. We stayed there for nearly 4 weeks looking after her and had to unfortunately watch her pass away. It was a sad time for me so writing this story wasn't a huge priority at the time. we had to stay there for a while, planning a funeral and getting everything in order and by the time everything had been done I wasn't really in the mood for this story. (Sorry!) and also we just had Christmas so we went for a quick holiday with the family. **

**BUT now I am BACK! And I've already written chapter 8 as well! So I'm ready to post that in a few days time :) **

**As I mentioned, I had a writers block, so this chapter is really short and a little... odd. **

**Never the less, Enjoy: Mesmerized.**

* * *

Mesmerized

Tseng crouched down in front of the glowing blue crystal they had spotted from afar. It was the size of the average apple and it appeared to be some sort of crystal or gem. It was clean and clear and it sparkled delicately in various areas of the gemstone. It was tinged with the colour cyan and had a very vague glow around it. Tseng had to stare carefully at it to see the unclear glow. The closer you were to the stone, the less it glowed, but the further you were from it the more it glowed. Tseng reached his hand forward and touched it. It was surprisingly warm and sent a shock of energy through you. Tseng could already feel himself sustaining power. He lifted it up and stood up straighter and then turned to look at the others who were watching from a distance.

"It's safe. It won't kill you." He said reassuringly and beckoned the others to come closer. Red was the first to examine it.

"Interesting. We found a crystal. Now let's return on our journey." Cait Sith said, eager to go back. He didn't find their discovery interesting at all. To him it just appeared to be a glowing crystal.

"I want to keep this." Tseng said as he stared at the crystal.

"If it is necessary, by all means keep it." Red said.

"What do you think it is?" Denzel said as he eyed the gemstone.

"It's a crystal, Denzel." Red said, trying to get the others back on their original track.

"No, it's much more than that." Tseng said as he examined the rock closer. He lifted it to his ear and heard a very very very light buzzing noise coming from it. He pulled it away and stared at the others. They were looking at him, as if he was insane. Did he really just try to listen to a rock? No, they weren't questioning his actions. They wanted it. They wanted the crystal. Well they wouldn't get it. It was Tseng's. This was Tseng's discovery and he would not let anyone else touch or take the crystal from him. It was his crystal. No one else's. His newest and most prized possession.

Red couldn't help but frown at Tseng's facial expressions. They seemed to be changing from concerned, to furious, to excited and to happy. It was strange. He felt that this crystal would bring danger to them. Little did he know, he was right.

* * *

"The rain seems to have calmed down." Cid said from his position in front of the little window the hut had. Reno was laying down on one of the strange bean bags and Elena was sitting against a wall. Reno had nearly completely recovered from his injuries and so had Elena but she was still feeling a little weak in her left leg.

"About time." Reno commented as he shuffled in his seat in the beanbag.

"Do you think this place is deserted?" Elena asked.

"I don't think so." Cid said as he lit another cigarette. "I think there is still civilisation, there once was, the huts have proved that for us, but maybe this area in total is abandoned."

"What time is it?" Elena asked

Reno looked at her and then pulled out his PHS. "It's afternoon. We've wasted quite some time in this hut because of the rain. How long have we been on this island for?"

Cid looked thoughtful for a while. "Nearly 50 or 60 hours."

Elena stared at the ground. "2 days." She whispered.

"Worried about Tseng?" Reno asked as he noticed her change of mood.

Elena looked up at him. Everyone knew about her little crush on Tseng ever since she had joined the Turks. She always admired him and idolized the man, but it was just a small crush; a small hint of affection. Someone else, not Tseng had been on her mind for quite some time now. And her feelings towards him were developing stronger and stronger every day. She stared at the man she felt like this for, the man who started a war inside her about Tseng and him. She sighed as she saw Reno arch a brow. He was oblivious when it came to noticing her feelings towards him, all men were. She instantly remembered Tifa telling her about her similar feelings for Cloud. A stab of grief went through her heart. This had been the first time Elena had thought about Tifa. What if Tifa didn't survive? She could feel her eyes filling with moist. This was the first time she had let herself think that her friends could be dead. Throughout her time on the island she had just been pushing these thoughts away. It almost felt like someone woke her up and made her realize that her best friends could have drowned 2 days ago, and she didn't even know.

"Hey," Reno said softly as he pushed himself off the bean bag, with great difficulty, and scooted next to Elena. "I'm sure Tseng's fine." He said as he patted her on the back.

Elena just sighed and looked at him. Idiot, she thought to herself.

* * *

"Daddy, I'm thirsty." Marlene said to Barret. Barret just sighed and turned to his daughter.

"I know sweetie, we all are. But, you'll have to wait a little longer." Barret said. He slowly examined his surroundings. They were still in the jungle and had been more focused on finding their friends or some food now. The rain hadn't really affected them today since the sturdy and tough tree tops provided more than enough cover for them. The price to pay was the view of the sky and that satisfying breeze. Some of the rain did manage to slip through the gaps between leaves and branches and drizzle onto them but it was easy to dodge and rather pleasing in the humid and close air inside the jungle.

Cloud was still at the front, chopping his way through plants and Tifa wasn't far behind him. Barret and Marlene trudged along at the back. Barret having to carry Marlene every now and then.

They continued trekking through the jungle in this form for nearly another hour. They still seemed to be getting nowhere and this was starting to get frustrating to Cloud. He turned to Tifa who was looking just as fed up. She gave him a small reassuring smile, just like Tifa would. She would always be cheering everyone up and thinking positive, but even now Cloud could see the glumness in her eyes. He quickly snapped his head away and blushed from embarrassment as he noticed he was staring into her eyes.

Tifa frowned at Cloud. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… W-were just not getting very far." He said nervously.

"I know, but we'll get through this. It's not that bad, just frustrating. If you let the aggravation take over you, it's not going to help and we won't get any further." Tifa said, pointing out that she could tell he was getting annoyed. She could read him like a book.

Cloud smiled in return at her. She was right, she always was. He was lucky to have Tifa beside him, like she always has been. "I'm glad you're here… with me." Cloud said.

Tifa returned his smile with one of her own. "I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather be with right now in this situation, other than you Cloud."

His cheeks flushed a light pink and he turned away from her. His heart racing 500 times faster than it was originally. He swallowed and tried to get his thoughts back on the task at hand.

"Oi! What's the holdup?" Barret asked from the back.

"Nothing." Cloud said and then went back to slashing plants. He cut through the next large shrub in front of him and then a horrible smell seeped through the cut he had made. He jerked his head back in response and he gagged as he stumbled back onto Tifa who shrieked from his sudden act.

Tifa looked at him with eyes full of confusion and then realization struck her as the smell reached her. She instantly put her hands to her nose. "Yuck!"

The smell travelled to Barret and Marlene and Barret felt his nose begin to shrivel from the strong odor. "Ew, daddy!" Marlene said while holding her nose, "Daddy fluffed." She whined to Cloud and Tifa.

"I didn't!" Barret exclaimed and then pointed in the direction of the plant that Cloud cut through. "It's that plant!"

"The plant fluffed?" Marlene said in perplexity.

"It's not the plant that's causing the smell." Cloud said as he looked past it. "It's what's behind it."

Barret and Tifa walked up to stand beside Cloud and they peered past the plant to see 2 giant wasp-like bugs, covered in what appeared to be some sort of slime.

"Ew." Tifa said simply at the sight.

Cloud ignored the smell and view of the dead bugs and looked down to see an already, narrow cut pathway.

"Someone's been through here."

* * *

"Well, looks like we've found shelter." Vincent said as he observed the sight before him. They were in some sort of haunted, ghostly village. Several empty huts were scattered over the plain. The tree's around the village were dead and had no leaves; all this did was enhance the spookiness on the place.

"What do you think happened here?" Yuffie said.

"I think this used to be a forest but it was burned down, that would explain why everything we've seen so far is dead and burnt."

"That also explains the condition of some of these huts." Yuffie said as she noted how most of the huts had burn stains on the sides of them and some were covered in charcoal.

"It will be dark soon. We may aswell just stop here." Vincent said and then he looked at Yuffie. "Would you like to have a hut to yourself?" He asked.

Yuffie felt a flourish of confusion go through her head. She looked back at the huts, and they did seem rather small. But they were big enough for the two of them to sleep in. Maybe he didn't want to sleep in the same hut as her. Was she really that bad? She thought to herself.

"Only if you want me too." She said quietly.

"I just assumed that you would want privacy." Vincent said.

Yuffie looked up at him and grinned. "No, not at all, I'd love to sleep with you." She said and then her eyes widened and her head + heart went into a series of nervous spasms. "No no no, not with you. I mean in the same hut as you… L-like not different huts the same one. Which would be with you but not the 'with' I mean, I mean yeah, the 'with' I mean just not the other 'with' that I meant. Well I didn't mean that 'with' that way. I just meant-" She was cut off by Vincent clasping his hand on her mouth.

"Yuffie." He said simply, "I know what you mean."

And in return Yuffie just silently nodded and brutally shouted at herself inside her head. On the other hand, Vincent was struggling to sustain the laughter inside him after listening to Yuffie rant on. He had to admit, she could be adorable at times. Then he rapidly shoved that last thought out of his mind. Yuffie… Adorable?... The island air must have been starting to get to him.

He followed Yuffie into one of the small huts. It was plain inside, nothing but dirt on the ground and an empty bucket in the corner. There were also three strange types of bean bag chairs dispersed inside the hut. They had been woven by strange vines and were filled with what looked like grass but Vincent wasn't sure. He watched Yuffie sit down on one and she immediately sunk into it.

He lightly smiled as he watched her struggle to sit up on it. The bean bag was incredibly cushiony and appeared to have the same effects as a water bed. The bean bag gave so easily that Yuffie couldn't push herself off. Vincent walked over to her and he gave her a hand, to help her up and out of the bean bag. She smiled gratefully at him and took his hand. With only a quarter of Vincent's strength he pulled her up and she stumbled forward onto him. Vincent lost his balance and tripped on his own feet and fell backwards onto the dirt and Yuffie landed on top of him with an 'oomph.'

"Sorry!" She blurted out, her cheeks quickly getting red from embarrassment. She pushed herself up and rolled off of him and then hurriedly stood up.

Vincent just chuckled as he stayed lying on the ground. Yuffie looked at him in bewilderment. Did Vincent Valentine just… laugh? She looked a little closer at him to make sure he was laughing and not crying. She did sometimes get the two acts confused with one another. Yep, he was laughing. She didn't know what it was but she began laughing too. The two of them laughed for atleast a minute of two and then Vincent slowly came to a stop and then so did Yuffie. Yuffie gave Vincent and hand and pulled him up again to his feet.

"Thanks." He said.

Yuffie smiled. "No problem." She turned and made her way to the window, with her back to Vincent.

Vincent couldn't help but wonder what it was about Yuffie, but somehow, slowly, she was beginning to mean a lot to him, he didn't know why but, she made him happy. A feeling he hadn't had in years.

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Reno said as he looked up at Cid. "Do we stay here overnight or should we try and cover more ground?"

"Well, the sun is starting to set and I don't want to be trudging around in the dark and we don't want to get caught in more blustery weather tonight. By the looks of the sky the storm is coming back. I think we should hide out here." Cid said.

Elena looked past Cid and through the window. She could see the sunset from where she was.

"Reno," She said to the man who sat next to her on the ground.

"What?" He said as he turned to her.

"Wanna take a walk with me?" She said.

"Uh, sure." He said a little surprised from her request. He stood up and followed her out the door and turned back to Cid. "We're going for a walk."

"Don't go too far and get back before it gets too late." Cid said as he pulled out another cigarette.

"Yes mother." Reno said and Cid just rolled his eyes in return.

The breeze outside the hut was rather refreshing and it made Elena feel revived. "The breeze is nice." Elena said as Reno shut the door behind them.

"Yeah well you know what they say, the calm before the storm." Reno said as they began slowly walking around the dead village. They walked in silence for a while, looking around them and at the strange huts in the village. Every time they would kick against the dusty sand or step on the dirt, particles of it would float up and it made walking rather uncomfortable but neither was going to complain. Then Elena broke the silence.

"What are you thinking about right now?" She said.

Reno just looked at her and light heartedly smirked at her. That was a strange question. "What am I thinking? What do you mean?"

"Well you have to be thinking about something. Especially in the current condition we're both in. I can't help but wonder what you think about it all." Elena said as she kicked lightly against the dusted ground causing a small cloud of dark dust to travel into the atmosphere.

"I don't know." He said slowly, "I've been doing a lot of thinking since I woke up on the beach."

"Like?" Elena said. She was on the edge of getting Reno to open up. For her to learn more about him, maybe she could relate with his thoughts. She needed to talk to someone and she certainly wasn't planning any heart to heart conversations with Cid and she had known Reno for a few years. She felt a sense of security and safety around him.

"You know, the usual; how are we gonna get home, where is everyone, where are we? That sorta stuff." He said carelessly. Reno wasn't really the type to talk about feelings and thoughts and he had a feeling he would soon be hearing more of this from Elena.

"What do you think happened to the others?" Elena said, getting straight to the point.

Reno just looked at her with an uncertain expression of what he should say. For once, he was at a loss for words. He wanted to be reassuring but he didn't want to give Elena false hope, he knew how sensitive the girl was and he didn't want to see her get upset. "I think, that if we survived, they probably survived."

Elena just looked down at the ground, obviously not happy with his answer. Reno suddenly got remorseful. He didn't want to distress her and that's what he just did, he just wanted to make her feel better. "You've been thinking a lot about this haven't you, Elena?" He said slowly. He himself had thought quite a lot about this too, but it seemed to be the only thing on Elena's mind.

She nodded silently. "Aren't you worried about Rude?" She said after a few moments of silence.

Reno was taken off guard from this. What did she think? Of course he was worried about his best friend. "Of course I am. I'm very worried about Rude."

"You don't seem too worried." Elena said, feeling livid that she seemed to be the only one who was worried about everyone else. The only one who felt like this. The only one battling inside. All Reno and Cid seemed to think about was getting home.

"I don't seem too- How could you- I am- I can't believe-" Reno sputtered on with resentment starting brew inside him. "Elena just because I'm not depressingly crying about it doesn't mean I'm not worried about him! We aren't all like you!" He shouted.

"Well, why aren't you crying about it?" Elena shouted back starting to feel a lump in her throat. Her words were slightly shaky.

"Because I don't need to!" Reno yelled.

"Don't you feel like breaking down and crying? Like digging a big hole and burying yourself in it?" Elena shouted. It was obvious to Reno that Elena was starting to become very emotional, she felt strongly about this and the fact that he didn't feel like her made nothing but anger well up inside her.

"Why? What good would that do? Especially the digging a hole and burying yourself! Why would you do that?" Reno shouted, trying to stir the conflict another way.

Elena didn't want to cry, she really didn't want to look so weak, especially in front of Reno, but after 2 long days of pushing it away she couldn't do that anymore, not this time. She felt her eyes getting moist and her hands starting to faintly quiver. Reno felt his heart drop at this sight of Elena getting sad. It was heartbreaking to see such a beautiful girl cry. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her as she began to sob.

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Vincent said to Yuffie from his position on one of the cushiony bean bags.

"Hear what?" Yuffie said from where she sat on the other bean bag.

"That! It sounds like talking." Vincent said in exhilaration.

Yuffie strained her ears to try and hear what Vincent was talking about and then she heard it, very very faintly. "Oh that! It sounds more like shouting than talking though." She said as she listened carefully.

"Come on!" Vincent said hurriedly and then tried to get up, but he just sank back down into the bean bag. He tried again but still, the same result. He looked over at Yuffie who was having the same trouble.

After what felt like a year's struggle, especially since he was in a rush, he finally managed to roll off the side. He went and helped Yuffie up and the two of them bolted for the door.

* * *

"Come on." Reno said softly as Elena continued to cry on his shoulder. "Let go back." He said as he turned them. Elena pulled herself off of Reno and wiped her eyes and sniffed. Reno's arm remained around her shoulder as he guided her back to the hut that Cid was in.

They walked through the ghost town village until their hut came into view. It wasn't hard to tell which one they were currently staying in. Basically look for the one that was still in good condition is what Reno did. The other huts were all burnt or half broken down.

Whoever made their hut was a fine builder since it was sturdy enough to last through whatever had happened to cause such destruction.

They finally reached their hut and went back inside. Cid's eyes widened as he saw Elena's watery eyes.

"What did you do to her!" He shouted as he rushed over to them.

"Calm down, Grandpa. She just got a little upset, I didn't do anything." Reno said as he flopped down onto one of the bean bags and sunk into it.

* * *

Vincent and Yuffie continued to run around the village. Trying to listen out for more of the shouting but it was like they had imagined it. They couldn't hear anything. Whatever they had heard or thought they heard was gone now.

"Anything?" Vincent said to Yuffie.

"No. I thought I really did hear something though." Yuffie said as she walked back over to Vincent.

"Indeed. Maybe our lack of socialisation from other people is getting to us."

"Yeah, we're probably getting delusional." Yuffie said agreeing with him.

"We'll probably go mad in a few days and slowly come to the point where we kill eachother for food." Vincent said as they began walking back to their hut.

"Yeah." Yuffie said as she followed Vincent back to their hut.

* * *

**Damn, If only Vincent and Yuffie had gotten off those bean bags a little sooner maybe they would've found them in time! Curse those bean bags! **

**Whenever you guys are ready, I'll be posting chapter 8 up soon. And I assure you, it's a lot better than this one :) Thank you for reading and please review! The quicker you review the quicker chapter 8 will be up!**

**:) Fallen Angel 24 xx**


	8. It's Just Rain

**Thank you for the reviews and favourites and etc :) I just want you guys to know it really encourages me to keep writing. I'd just like to remind everyone that I am Australian so sorry if some words are spelt differently; such as colour or favourite. Never the less, it's only a minor tweak and if it is really bothering you I'll try and change it. **

**Enjoy; It's Just Rain.**

* * *

It's Just Rain

"Who do you think cut this trail?" Tifa said as she followed Cloud down the narrow cut pathway that Cid created a day ago (except they didn't know that it was Cid) and Reno and Elena who had gone through here.

"I don't think it would have been someone native to the island. I'm almost 100% sure that it was one of us." Cloud said. They walked in single file down the trail for the reason that it was too narrow. Cloud at the front, Tifa behind, Marlene and then Barret who was only just getting through with great difficulty.

His sleeve kept getting caught on the sharp branches or some prickle bush would clutch onto his pants. He was starting to get fed up with this but he stayed quiet.

"Well, those bugs we saw before had bullet holes and cuts." Tifa said.

"What are you suggesting?" Cloud said as he pushed past an incredibly thick and prickly bush. Whoever came through here didn't make a very clear path.

"That the person who came through here has a gun. Let's brainstorm, who uses a gun?" Tifa said as she struggled past the prickly bush that Cloud had just gone through.

"Vincent." Barret said from the back.

"Possible." Cloud said as he thought about it.

"Elena." Tifa said.

"Maybe." Cloud said as he ducked numerous branches.

"Rude uses a gun sometimes." Barret said as he ripped apart the prickly bush that he couldn't get through.

"Perhaps." Cloud said as he visioned Rude cutting through vegetation. But then what would he use to cut his way through?

"Tseng-" Tifa began but Cloud cut her off.

"Why are we assuming only one person went through here?" Cloud said, realizing it was possible that 5 people marched through this trail.

"Uh…" Tifa said, "Because we hadn't thought of that yet?"

Cloud stopped walking and turned to Tifa who had also stopped walking. Marlene stopped behind Tifa and finally Barret had caught up. Cloud studied Barret, he had leaves all over him, branches here and there that had woven into his shirt and he had prickles covered nearly everywhere. He shook his head at the sight.

"So here are our options, Vincent, Elena, Rude or Tseng. It is possible that they were with someone else. Someone used something sharp to attack one of the big bugs back there and unless Vincent turned into Chaos or Elena, Rude or Tseng whipped out a sword then I doubt they were alone."

"Now, who has sharp weapons?" Tifa said.

"Red." Barret said.

"Cid." Cloud said after him.

"Or Yuffie." Tifa said next.

Cloud sighed. "It's hopeless… we won't know who came through here until we catch up. We don't know how far away they are so we better get moving."

Tifa nodded and they continued moving again. After a while Marlene became tired and Barret had to carry her so he started to slow down. Tifa looked over her shoulder to see Barret and Marlene in the distance. "Maybe we should take a break. It is probably dark now anyway." Tifa said.

Cloud stopped and turned to look at her and then he looked past her to see Barret and Marlene. "Yeah, and who knows what colour the sky is right now. The tree tops cover everything."

"Atleast their protecting us from the rain." Tifa mentioned.

"And fresh air. I'm dying in here." Cloud said, referring to the humidity.

Tifa smiled and walked over to Cloud so she was only inches in front of him. He returned her smile with his own subtle one. "If you could choose, who would you want to have cut this trail?" Tifa said curiously.

"That's an interesting question, Miss Lockheart," Cloud said playfully, "But why do you ask?"

"I feel kind of self-seeking right now. I'm really hoping that Elena and Yuffie or Denzel came down here. It's not that I don't care about the others, it's just I'm worried about them a lot more and I feel kind of… selfish. It's killing me inside. Do you feel like this?"

Cloud put a hand on her shoulder and shook her reassuringly. "To be honest I'm going to be pleased to find anyone we know on this island."

"I know… I should be feeling like that too…" Tifa said gradually.

"I understand your extra concern for Elena, Yuffie and Denzel. Elena and Yuffie are two of your best friends and Denzel is almost like a little brother or a son to you. I'm worried about him to, but I have this gut feeling that he's not far. I have this feeling that he's in this exact same jungle and that's what's killing _me_ inside. Knowing that they're out there, but not being able to find them."

Tifa just shook her head in understanding. She could always tell Cloud her feelings, all except one.

"Feel a little better?" Cloud said as he looked straight into her eyes. Tifa looked up into his.

His eyes. They made her heart catch on fire. They glowed the beautiful cerulean mako they were. She could just look into his eyes and feel herself getting lost. They were the kind of eyes you could relate to, the kind of eyes that truly were windows to the soul. On every occasion Tifa looked into Cloud's eyes she could feel herself being taken to a whole other universe. His eyes. They had a certain undefinable sparkle that was alluring and sensual.

"Teef?" Cloud said.

Tifa snapped back into reality. "Uh, sorry what?"

"I said, are you feeling better?"

"Oh uh, yeah, yeah, I'm feeling fine." Tifa said her words all over the place. She was still in such a daze.

"Why have we stopped?" Barret said as he had finally caught up.

"Bedtime." Cloud said.

"Bedtime? What are we, 8?" Tifa said.

"Yes." Marlene said from behind her, in Barret's arms.

* * *

Tseng had taken the lead of the group and had leaded them through the jungle they were in. Red and the others thought he was just leading them aimlessly, going by his own perception. But they were far from right. Tseng knew where he was going. The crystal- no, _his_ crystal was telling him. It wasn't words he was following though; it was the feeling in his head. It was almost as if someone else was inside him, leading the way for him. He felt so far from himself, yet so close.

He had soon leaded the group towards an incredibly big volcano. Throughout Red's journey he had been seeing the top of the volcano in the Jungle every now and then. When he first woke up on the beach he had straight away become aware of the smoke rising from it.

"A volcano." Rude said.

"Indeed, Rude." Red said from his spot next to him.

"Are we going to go around it?" Denzel asked as he stared at the volcano in awe. He had never been near one before and this was exciting for him.

"Why of course Denzel." Red began, "You can't go through a volcano."

"I'm afraid you are wrong, Red." Tseng said. "There is a cave that runs as a tunnel through the volcano. We will pass through there to save time."

Red couldn't help but wonder how Tseng knew this. "How exactly have you gained this knowledge of the island, Tseng?" Red asked.

"Intuition." Tseng said and then continued forward, Rude following him and then Red, Cait Sith and Denzel walking behind.

Red sighed and tried to put the puzzle in his head together. He felt like he was alone on this one. He didn't have Cloud or Vincent behind him to back him up. All he had was Denzel and Cait Sith. He didn't underestimate Denzel, in fact he believed strongly in the young boy. It's just he didn't want to put the boy into any trouble he couldn't handle, he felt like Denzel was his responsibility. Tifa and Cloud would never forgive him if something happened to Denzel, and neither would Red. He had to keep an eye on Denzel and the other eye on Tseng. His suspicions of Tseng were beginning to grow rapidly. He was losing faith and trust in the Turk and he knew that their newly acquired rock had something to do with this.

Red began to catch up to the rest of the group he was with; his thoughts had slowed him down. They continued to walk towards the volcano that towered above them.

"Will the volcano erupt while we're in it?" Denzel asked, sharing his nerves with everyone else.

"No. We are safe, Denzel." Tseng said strongly. He took a few more steps and then began to lead the group to an opening at the bottom of the volcano.

Tseng walked in with no hesitation and Rude tentatively followed him. "Tseng!" Red shouted before he left his view.

Tseng turned and looked at him, "What is it, Red?"

"Before walking in without shilly-shallying, I think the best thing to do first is supply ourselves with rations, water and some source of light." Red said.

"He's right." Cait said from behind him.

Tseng turned his head to look down the tunnel to see it disappear into darkness. He turned back to Red and nodded. "Very well."

They decided to fan out in the area and gather some food. Red sent Tseng and Rude to go back to where they had passed a lake and had gotten a drink from it earlier that day and Cait and Denzel had disappeared into the jungle to gather some of the surrounding berries that had recently been showing up more lately. Red soon found himself picking up sticks to take with them into the tunnel so he could light them on fire.

* * *

Denzel continued to pick some of the berries off the bush that was in front of him. They were definitely strange berries, a kind he had never seen before. They were small, the size of marbles, and were orange in colour. They tasted like a very sour oranges, but they seemed to be everywhere and Denzel wasn't going to lie, they may be very sour but they tasted nice to him. He could understand Rude and Tseng's disgust in them because they were older and weren't as used to sour things like Denzel, who had experienced many sour lollies back home when Tifa let him have some.

His eyes started to get teary as he thought about Tifa. He needed her to be by his side right now. Before being stranded on this island he had never even talked to Rude or Tseng and only a little with Red. He felt so alone, so far from home, so isolated. He brought his hand up to wipe his eyes free of the tears that had formed. This feeling wasn't new to him. He sniffed and rubbed his nose as he felt a lump form in his throat from his aching heart that called for his parents.

"Where are you?" He whispered to himself, referring to his motherly figure – Tifa. "Why aren't you here?" He said his voice wobbly from the lump in his throat. He looked down at his feet as he felt a cold bead roll down his cheek. "I need you." He whispered.

He sniffed and wiped his eyes again and then went back to picking more of the orange berries. He had been trying so hard to be strong but was beginning to fall apart. He wasn't only feeling alone, he felt scared aswell. He didn't trust Tseng or Rude. He could see the way Tseng was looking at that weird rock they had found. He could only trust Red and he knew if he could talk to Tifa she would tell him to stay with Red. He turned and walked back the way he had come through.

* * *

Red turned to see Denzel pushing himself through the bushes. He smiled at the young boy, "I see you found some berries."

Denzel nodded and put them into a small pouch that Red had. Cait Sith then came into their view with a handful of the same berries Denzel had and another type of berry. They were small and star shaped and was a bright yellow colour.

"What do those tastes like?" Denzel said, eyeing the star-shaped berries.

"Rather sweet, try one." Cait said and then handed one to Denzel. Denzel smiled at him and took one out of his hand and popped it into his mouth.

The berry tasted like a very sweet banana and had small seeds in the middle; the texture was rather mushy compared to the juicy orange berries. Denzel spat the seeds out. When Red and Cait turned around, Denzel quickly took 3 of the orange berries and 4 of the yellow ones and slipped them into his pocket. He wanted to save some for Tifa and Cloud, since he assumed they hadn't tried anything like them.

"Where are the Turks?" Cait Sith asked.

"Tseng and Rude have gone back to where we encountered that small lake to gather water. They may take a while." Red said.

"How long do you think?" Denzel asked.

"Perhaps an hour if they keep at a constant pace." Red said and heard Denzel sigh. The three of them all sat down on the outside of the cave entrance, resting in the shade from the very dim sunlight.

* * *

"Day 3 on this godforsaken island and we haven't accomplished anything." Cid said as he walked out the door of their provisional home – the hut. "Ah shit." Cid said as he stepped into a large pool of deep mud. "This island hates me."

"Come on, let's get going." Elena said as she led the two men out of the village. They began walking through the rest of the burnt down village and soon found themselves walking through the rest of the haunted forest. Their scenery consisted of mainly dead, leafless trees and stones scattered here and there.

Reno looked over his shoulder, back at the village that was vanishing from view. He felt like there was a connection with that village. That something there was telling him to stay. He shrugged the feeling off and began to follow Elena and Cid again.

"3 days without any food, I'm starving." Cid said.

"By the looks of things we won't be running into any fruits in this place." Reno said, referring to the lifeless forest around them.

"I don't know how much longer I'm going to keep sane on this island. Just the torture of not knowing where the others are, are murdering me within." Elena said.

"I know what you mean," Cid began, "I miss them."

"I miss Rude." Reno said, off in his own world as he looked up at the angry looking sky. He frowned; it had been blue a countless minutes ago.

"Maybe we're close to someone. I feel like that one of our friends is just around the corner. Waiting for us." Cid said.

"I've been having a similar feeling; I think it's just the ghostly presence of this forest." Reno said.

"Most likely." Cid said quietly as he tried to ignore the eerie feeling.

They continued walking through the lifeless forest for another few minutes until Elena felt something cold hit her forehead. She then began to feel an icy, cold bead of water roll down the side of her face. Another freezing raindrop landed on her cheek. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at the sky. The clouds that had once scattered across the sky had now huddled together and were creating a grey sky. Elena felt another drop land on her.

"Not again. What's with this island?" Elena said, fed up with the continuous rain.

"I don't know, but it annoys the shit outta me." Cid said as he stared at the quickly brewing storm. He could already feel the wind picking up its strength.

"I am not going back to that hut. We're making no progress and it's starting to get to me." Reno commented.

"You got that right, I'm not going back. I say we continue. It's just rain." Cid said.

Elena just kept quiet and followed the two men. It's just rain.

* * *

"Again?" Tifa said as they continued walking down the already cut trail. They had woken up almost an hour ago and had decided to keep moving. Tifa has just felt a drop of rain land on her bare arm.

"What is it?" Cloud said from his position at the front.

"I just felt water hit me." Tifa said as she glanced up at the treetops to see some rainwater trickling down the edges of some leaves.

"It never stops raining here." Marlene said from behind Barret, she was currently trailing along at the back.

"Good observation, Marlene." Cloud said and continued walking, the others following him. He glimpsed behind him to see an expression on Tifa's face. He knew Tifa like he knew his spikes and he knew that something must have been bothering her from the look on her face. He sighed quietly to himself.

"It's just rain, Teef. It won't hurt."

Tifa raised her eyebrows at him, realising her thoughts may have been more obvious than she was currently thinking. "I know." She said, but she couldn't shake the feeling that was starting to stir inside her. Besides. It's just rain.

* * *

A rain drop landed on Denzel's foot. "Not again." He mumbled to himself.

"Looks like another storm is approaching," Red said.

"I hope that Tseng and Rude come back in time before it starts to get heavy. I'd like to be inside this tunnel before the rain starts." Cait added.

"In fact their called Lava Tubes." Red said as he wiped raindrops off his nose. He looked around waiting for a response, some sign of interest. He sighed; Cloud would have been interested if he were around.

_But he's not…_

"Denzel, maybe you should go into the cave mouth and get out of the rain." Red suggested.

Denzel looked up at Red, his fur was rather damp. Similar to Denzel's hair. It was now that Denzel realised the drizzle had increased. "It's just rain." He said.

Red nodded and smiled at him. He began to feel a wash of worry go through him. What had happened to those other two? He was beginning to think of the worst, but like Denzel had just said.

It's just rain.

* * *

Yuffie shuffled in her bean bag and then stretched an arm as she slowly woke herself up. She still had a dreamy smile plastered on her face from the dream she had last night. She shifted her gaze to see the main subject of her dream asleep on the bean bag next to her. Vincent Valentine. The incredibly strong, fearless and daring hero… curled up in a bean bag, snuggled with his hair over his face and his arms hugging his red organic cape like it was a teddy bear. She giggled at the sight and then fought her way off of the bean bag. After several attempts she finally hauled herself off.

She neatened her hair and put on her boots. She had taken them off before she went to sleep. Her eyes looked out the window to see grey clouds. She frowned in confusion and then tiptoed over to the window. Yuffie examined the border of the windowsill and soon found a wooden tab. She lifted the tab and with it she opened the window. Immediately she felt cold, crispy air starts to flow into the hut. Strands of her raven hair were picked up by the breeze as she gazed at the sky.

Another storm was coming. She felt light jabs of the delicate raindrops sprinkle on her face and exposed shoulders. She saw the trees already swaying from the wind and the leaves bending from the force. She shuddered as she began to feel water from her dampened hair start to creep down her neck. She pushed herself off the wooden windowsill and pulled the wooden tab to shut the window. Yuffie leant her back against the wall next to the window and looked at Vincent again, who had not moved.

She sighed and wiped her face free of the raindrops that had settled on her face. Yuffie pushed herself off the wall and slumped back onto the beanbag. She closed her eyes lightly and thought of her life back home in Wutai. Her mind travelled from the adventures she had, had ever since she met Barret Wallace to where she was now. Would she ever see Wutai and her father again?

Bam! The door suddenly slammed open from the increase of the winds strength. Yuffie's eyes darted over to the now open door. Vincent's head rose up without delay at the sudden racket. His ruby red eyes wide in shock. His hand went automatically for the gun but after the adrenaline pumping through his body began to settle down, he realised it was just the door.

"Holy cheese! That scared the hell outta me!" Yuffie exclaimed as she referred to the door.

"Indeed." Vincent said and then looked out the door to see the growing storm.

"More rain." Yuffie said with a sigh, exasperation looping in and out of her words.

"It's just rain." Vincent said as he battled himself off of his temporary bed.

"I know, but the rain seems to be causing a whole heap of trouble lately." She said as she mimicked Vincent's moves and dragged herself off the beanbag. The two of them were beginning to get quite good at getting off those things.

Vincent walked to the door and stood at the frame. He looked around at the damp village. Something appeared strange to him but he couldn't put his finger on it. He stepped out into the now drenching downpour and took a few steps into the village. Yuffie watched from the door frame as he checked his surroundings.

"Vincent!" She shouted, "What are you doing? Get out of the rain."

Vincent just ignored Yuffie's concern and walked further into the village. Inside the hut, Yuffie cursed at him to herself. "Idiot." She muttered to herself. She quickly picked up her materia pouch and then followed Vincent into the pouring rain.

"Vincent." She said as she caught up with him. He was walking further into the village, looking almost like he was searching. "Vincent." She said again, a little more desperately. "What are you doing?"

Vincent stopped and turned to look at Yuffie. She was standing there soaked to the skin and dripping wet. Her hair was soaked and she held her wet pouch of materia in her hand. She looked confused and anxious to know what he was up to. Vincent walked up to her silently until he was only an inch from her body. She looked up at him, her eyelashes shimmering with the tears of the clouds and her eyes filled with mischievousness mixed with wonder.

"It feels like something has passed here." Vincent said as he looked away from her but back to where he was originally looking. He still stayed standing in front of her though.

"It could have just been a wild animal or-"

"A person." Vincent said as he cut her off, "A human went past here. Look at those tracks. If you look close enough, you can see the outline of a boot." Vincent said as he pointed at nearby mud. The footprint was incredibly vague due to the current rain but you could see the outline of it.

"Well-"

"I don't know if it was one of us or someone unknown but I think we should follow it." Vincent said.

"Maybe we should lat-"

"Go fetch any of your belongings back at the hut, we're leaving, now." Vincent said.

"We just came from that wa-"

"Do you have anything in the hut?" Vincent asked as he looked back at Yuffie.

"Well, no but-"

"Good, we can leave now then." Vincent said and began walking.

"Vincent! Wait!" Yuffie said but Vincent just looked over his shoulder and motioned her to follow him. "It's raining!" She shouted at him.

"It's just rain."

* * *

**Hope this was a little better than the last. Nothing much really happened, I guess I should probably name it a filler. I've planned something exciting for the next chapter so stay tuned! Haha.**

**Thanks for reading and please do review!**

**xx Fallen Angel 24**


	9. A Sting Of Poison

**So here's chapter 9 and it's a little more interesting than my last one. It's only been roughly edited since I'm in a rush to publish this right now. Hopefully you enjoy it and a big thank you to those who have reviewed. Don't feel shy if you have any ideas because I'm open to all of them and who knows, you may see them pop up in the story!**

**Enjoy: A Sting of Poison!**

* * *

A Sting of Poison

Reno pulled his navy blue suit jacket off of him and then held it over Elena's head as they struggled violently against the incredibly strong wind and the plummeting downpour. Reno had to go to great efforts to hold his jacket over her head and was having his own minimal battle with the wind to keep it in place. The rain stung as it whipped their faces and any other areas of exposed skin. Elena could barely open her eyes in the thick misty spray of the pounding shower. Cid was using his spear to help support himself as he dragged his body against the wind. Each of them could barely stand in opposition of the wind and were all staggering step by step through the empty forest.

Elena and Reno were using eachother to support themselves. They gripped onto eachother arms and shoulders tightly. Reno used one arm to hold his jacket to protect Elena from the rain.

"Cid!" Reno shouted against the wind. "Cid! This is madness." He strained his voice hoping he would hear, "We have to stop!"

"Stop where!" Cid said as he clutched onto his spear that he was currently using like it was a walking stick. "We can't just sit down here! There is no other choice!" He shouted.

"We could go back!" Elena suggested whilst shouting.

"You don't give a jack?" Cid shouted back, misinterpreting what she had just said.

"I said we could go back!" She shouted, Elena having a fairer voice than Reno and Cid had the worst trouble communicating.

"What!" Cid said as he turned around.

"WE COULD GO BACK!" Reno and Elena both shouted at the same time to Cid.

"Alright, alright! No need to shout!" He shouted back.

He turned back the way he was leading them and felt the full effect of the storm against his body, pushing him back. They couldn't go back; he couldn't go back to going nowhere.

"We can't go back!" Cid shouted and then continued walking- well slowly taking a step every few seconds.

Elena turned her face away from the wind and dug herself further under Reno's jacket. She felt him wrap his arm around her waist and his chin rested against the top of her head. She buried her face into his chest as he pulled the jacket over top of her completely. She felt the tiniest bit warmer against him and the constant ramming wind had stopped for her. She wrapped her arms around his body and pulled him closer. The two were subconsciously hugging one another, begging for eachother's protection and warmth.

Reno could feel his hands getting numb and he was soon losing the feeling in his hands that were holding his jacket. He buried his face into Elena's hair and felt the wetness of it against his cheeks. He looked up to see Cid standing there looking at the two. He was fighting the wind to keep him standing but couldn't do it anymore. His bones had weakened and he didn't have the physical strength or the mental strength to keep him standing. He had lost hope. Reno watched him collapse and fall to the ground – defeated.

Reno pulled away from Elena and Elena's moment of comfort soon vanished as Reno wrestled the wind to get to Cid. Elena slowly fell to the ground in exhaustion and felt her energy be completely drained from her. She felt the rain continuously slam into her body, millions of sharp, icy spears darting into her body at all sorts of angles, leaving her skin to tingle and go numb.

Reno dragged himself to Cid's still body on the ground. Cid had fallen forward so his face was buried into the ground. "Cid." Reno said his voice croaky and tired. He fell down to his knees and crawled to Cid.

Cid turned his head to look at him. The rest of his body remained still. "I can't do this anymore, Reno." He said quietly, just loud enough for Reno to hear.

Reno lost support in his arms and fell forward, much like Cid had. "It's not over yet." He said with hope in his tone.

"It is..." Cid began, "For now."

Reno wasn't in the mood to look past the words and to find a deeper meaning behind them. He was too tired. He rolled his body slightly to the side so he could check on Elena. He could barely see through the dense mist the rain had created. After a few moments of examining the area Elena was left in he finally could see the subtle outline of her figure.

She was lying on her back and was staring up into the sky. Staring up into that angry sky that brought so much torture to them. The storm was deathly and it was suggesting a hurricane was approaching. She felt like giving up. She didn't have the strength, both physically and mentally to continue on this heartbreaking journey. Her mind began to replay what had happened in the last 3 days. She remembered being on the cruise ship that Barret had rented for the weekend.

The sky was sunny that day. She could remember her sitting with Yuffie and Tifa, they were laughing. She could remember Reno and Rude on the karaoke singing off-tune. She could remember her and Reno watching the stars. For a moment, Elena felt at peace as she thought back to that day. For a moment she could almost feel that sun that poured on them and the overall happiness on the ship. For a moment, she felt happy. But that moment was broken as she heard the thunder in the distance. Her feeling of serenity was murdered and she was back there. Back in her worst nightmare.

Her worst nightmare; her body felt numb, she was beginning to lose feeling everywhere due to the violent and murderous rain that hammered down onto her weak and crimpled body. Her hearing had gone and all she could hear now was the rain, hitting her body and the ground around her. She could barely open her eyes to look around her, and when she did all she saw was grey mist. She no longer could see Reno or Cid. Had they abandoned her? She felt alone, separated from peacefulness.

Cid felt himself falling apart, underneath the rain. All he could think about now was Shera. He kept thinking about Shera and if he didn't, he would most likely lose it. His sanity on this island would have gone a day ago if it weren't for Shera's memories. She must be worrying. He felt his eyes become teary as he began to think, that maybe he wouldn't see Shera anymore. What if this was the end? What if he would live his life on this island, roaming it to always to come to nothing? No. He couldn't let that happen. He was stronger; he wasn't going to let some stupid drizzle make him lose hope. After all, it's just rain. His grip on his spear tightened as he lifted it up. He stood the spear up and used it to pull himself up. Slowly and gradually he came to his feet.

His back was hunched, he felt so heavy. His drenched clothes were holding him down. Minutes passed and he finally had stood up. He looked around him, beneath the mist he could see Elena's defeated body lying a few feet away and a few inches from his foot lay Reno. He kicked Reno in the head.

"Get up ya lazy Turk, we got some chasin' to do. We aren't gonna find the others by havin' a rest in the middle of some ugly forest." Cid said as he felt a new feeling. Stronger than the weakness that was occupying his body. Determination.

Reno groaned as he felt Cid's foot collide with his head. Was the man mad? He had been doing fine, slowly falling unconscious in the homicidal rain. He looked up, continuously blinking due to the downpour. "What do you want?" He asked his voice raspy.

"Let's get going." Cid said. "Grab Elena and we're outta here." Cid gave Reno a hand and he helped him up.

Reno looked back to see Elena still in the same position. He slowly made his way to her, trying to fight the wind that was holding him back. He began to wonder if a tornado or a hurricane was about to hit the island, then that would make more sense why he could barely stand straight in this wind. Step after step he finally had reached Elena.

Elena didn't respond or move and Reno had reached her. Reno bent down a little and grabbed her hand. He studied her face through the mist to see that she had her eyes closed. He pulled her upper body up, with great difficulty by reason of the strong rain and the overpowering wind. She still didn't respond to him as he held her half up. Then he began to worry, was she just tired or was she actually unconscious?

He gathered all his strength and pulled her completely up and rested her head on his shoulder. He supported her unmoving body with his hands around her waist. He wiped her hair out of her face and looked down at her, "Elena. Elena are you okay?" still no answer. "Elena answer me! It's Reno." He shouted, maybe she didn't hear him over the rain. Her head tilted to the left and then she opened her sleepy eyes.

She opened her mouth slowly. "Reno." She said. Her voice was croaky and despondent. "I think you should just leave me. I give up." She forced out of her mouth.

"No, Elena don't say that. Come on, I'll help you." Reno said as he moved his hands position around her waist to her arms and then he supported her as he walked. Cid saw the struggled and came to assist them.

Together, the 3 of them, fought through the storm.

* * *

"It's just rain, ai?" Tifa screamed as she clutched the nearby tree, holding on for her dear life. Her dark hair being pushed and pulled in the wind, the rain whipping her face. The storm had greatly increased on their side of the island and it was obvious that something deathly, such as a hurricane as approaching. The jungle they were currently in may have been protecting them at first, but now, layers and layers of roofing from the tree tops were flying away in the wind.

Barret was currently holding Marlene tightly as he could. They were sitting against a boulder that was shielding them slightly from the ongoing wind. There were times when the wind would start to slow down for a few minutes and then out of nowhere it would increase and push them over. Just when they thought it was over, it came back.

Cloud was standing, but struggling. He wasn't using anything to support himself except his sword that was wedged into the ground. He smirked at Tifa, "Who knew a little rain could bring this much trouble?" he chuckled to himself slightly. His spikes were swept to the side from the force of the wind.

Tifa rolled her eyes at him. He obviously wasn't too worried about their current situation – the storm before a hurricane – not bad at all or anything. "How can you be so good-humoured at a time like this?" Tifa said as she repositioned herself and instead on holding onto the tree she was leaning her back on it whilst it protected her from the wind. Her hair still blowing everywhere.

"Tifa, relax. It's not like the winds gonna come and throw us to the other side of the island. The worst we can expect is to get a little wet and maybe be pushed a couple hundred feet." Cloud said, as if it was nothing.

"A little wet!" Tifa exclaimed, "I'm saturated!"

"It's not all about you, Teef." Cloud said wittily

"What!" Tifa screamed. Was this man being serious? Or had Cloud actually gone insane?

Cloud laughed, "You should see your face right now."

Tifa rolled her eyes and looked elsewhere at Marlene and Barret. Marlene was crying and Barret was trying to comfort her. She must be scared; _Pfft I don't blame her_ Tifa thought to herself.

The wind started to ease down, still strong but easier to walk through. Barret was carrying a crying Marlene and he had taken the lead aswell down the trail they had been currently walking through. Cloud wasn't far behind him and Tifa was trailing along at the end. She started to speed up so she caught up with Cloud. As soon as she had caught up to him she grabbed his shirt by the back of the collar and threw him against a nearby thick tree.

Cloud found himself pinned by the tree as Tifa put each of her hands on either side of his head. To call him confused would be a remarkable understatement. But he had to admit, he did like Tifa's aggressiveness towards him sometimes.

She turned her head to wait for Barret and Marlene to be out of hearing range. An expression crawled onto Tifa's features – Anger. Cloud smiled at her, and if Tifa wasn't angry at him right now, she would call it the cutest smile she had seen in ages, but at the moment, she was furious with him.

Her first move; she slapped him. Whack! Was the sound that her hand and his face made as they collided. She left a red handprint where she had hit him.

Cloud raised his hand to feel a quickly growing numb and stinging cheek. "What was that for?" He asked in bewilderment.

"You stupid jerk!" Tifa shouted at him, not too loudly though.

He was stunned, "What did I do!" Cloud asked in desperation. Flinching everytime she moved her hand, afraid she would slap him again.

"We were in a serious situation before and all you could do was laugh! What's gotten into you Cloud Strife?"

"Tifa, you're becoming a bit too paranoid. We were caught in some strong wind." Cloud said insensibly.

"It was a lot more than that!"

"Since when did you become this fearful? Teef, relax!"

"I can't relax! You're making it too hard to relax!"

"_I'm_ making it too hard to relax? You're the one panicking over a strong gust of wind. I'm trying to keep you sane." Cloud said, trying to be reasonable.

"Are you saying I've gone insane?"

"I'm saying you're going insane."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "If anyone has been driven to insanity it's you."

It was silent for a few seconds. Both of them giving eachother deathly glares. Finally, Tifa gave in and sighed, "Sorry. Your right, I'm starting to get apprehensive. I just don't want to watch you go crazy and lose you."

Cloud smiled at her. "I'm not going anywhere, Teef."

Tifa smiled and opened her mouth as if she was about to say something but was interrupted by an enraged Barret. "Where the hell have you two been?"

Cloud stuttered, "S-sorry man, we were... talking."

Tifa blushed as she realised the position they had been in. She still had him pinned against the tree. She pushed herself off him and looked at Barret who just shook his head and turned and began leading them again. Tifa looked back at a blushing Cloud aswell and then turned herself and followed Barret.

Cloud then soon began to trail along behind them. "Tifa Lockheart," He said to himself with a thoughtful look on his face,

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

"This island certainly isn't ideal for taking vacations." Tseng said as he and Rude began to go back to where they had left Red, Cait and Denzel.

"I agree." Rude said.

"This island, there's something strange about it. Everything is so… so… is so big." Tseng said as he struggled to think of the right word. Rude didn't respond. Tseng look around the area they were currently in and then pointed at tree that wasn't far from them. "Like that tree. Look at the size of that thing!" He exclaimed.

Rude looked in the direction that Tseng was pointing to see the tree he was emphasizing about. He nodded in agreement.

Tseng sighed and then continued walking, trying to think of a new subject to talk about with Rude. He never had understood Rude. Now that he thought about it he couldn't think of any similarities between Reno and Rude that would help build the strong friendship the two men had.

Then Tseng said the question that had been itching his throat every since he had woken up on the island.

"What do you think has happened to Reno and Elena?"

"I think they're out there somewhere. Hopefully safe."

"Do you think Elena would have survived the storm?" Tseng asked.

Rude raised his hand to shift his glasses. He had to admit, he was unsure himself if Elena would have survived the storm. Even though Elena had joined the Turks a little over 4 years ago, she was still considered the newbie and the unexperienced one. Of course Rude and Reno had begun to think of her in a new light after meteor. They thought of her as an independent and strong woman now. It was really only Tseng who continued to think of Elena as the little lost girl trying to fit in and naturally, Reno and Rude would just follow his ideas and agree with him.

"I don't know about that one, Tseng. I believe Reno did though." Rude said, trying to balance his answer.

"I don't doubt Reno's abilities of survival." Tseng said and then stopped walking for a moment and looked blank. "Okay, that wasn't true. Let's just say, I think he's alive."

"What are your thoughts on Elena?"

Tseng sighed and smiled at Rude. He had been worrying about Elena quite a lot especially since there had been no sign of her after almost 3 days on the island. He had always felt an attraction towards Elena since the day he chose her to be a new Turk. In the last 2 years these feelings had begun to grow greater and he was starting to have trouble denying that he was in love. But lately, his thoughts had been based mainly on his crystal lately, he didn't know why, but this new love for him made him think less and less about Elena each day. Less and less about his friends and more about himself. He felt himself becoming more selfish.

"I'll be honest, Rude; I've given this a lot of thought."

"Okay."

"I don't want you to think I've gone insane."

"Yes, Tseng?"

"Can I trust you, Rude."

"Of course."

"I believe that Nanaki is plotting against us." Tseng said firmly.

Rude had to admit, he wasn't expecting that. "Red? What's made you believe this, boss?"

"I have seen the way he looks at us, he despises us. I think he holds a large grudge against some of our past experiences with them." Tseng explained. He reached into his pocket and felt the warmth of his new crystal. He pulled it out and shined it in front of Rude. "He's after this."

"A-are you sure? He didn't seem too interested in it before."

"It was just an act, Rude. He wants _my_ crystal and _we_ are not going to let him get it." Tseng explained as he stared at the crystal in admiration. His look was a look of hunger, a look of desire, a look of yearning and longing. Rude didn't want to admit it to himself but, Tseng had become obsessed. Why? Why was he obsessed, was the question in Rude's mind. He didn't know what to do or say to change Tseng's mind, so, Rude decided the easier option was to just go along with it and then when he was given the opportunity, he would steal the crystal and get it away from Tseng. Hopefully, he'll be able to save his fellow friend from this new obsession he had fallen in love with.

"What's that plan?" Rude said with a small smirk.

* * *

"Strawberries." Marlene said.

"Uh, pink." Tifa replied.

"Fairies." Marlene said.

"Hm… Glitter." Tifa replied.

"Cloud." Marlene said.

"A Chocobo." Tifa laughed and then Barret and Marlene joined in and laughed with her.

Tifa and Marlene had been playing a small game between the two of them. Marlene would say a word and then Tifa would have to say the first thing that came to her mind. It was just something she did to keep Marlene amused while they continued walking through the jungle.

"Thanks, Teef." Tifa heard Cloud say from the back. Barret was the one leading them all this time, with Marlene behind him and Tifa in front of Cloud.

"You're welcome." Tifa said between giggles.

"Can we keep going, Aunty Teef? I like this game." Marlene asked.

"Sure."

"Flowers."

"Petals."

"Piano."

"Tranquillity."

"What does trackwility mean?" Marlene asked, pronouncing the word wrong.

"Tranquillity." Barret said from the front, correcting her.

"It means, like, peace." Tifa explained.

"Like that feeling you get when your relaxing, Marlene." Cloud added.

"Calm." Barret added.

"Why does a piano remind you of trackwility, Aunty Tifa?" Marlene asked. Once again, mispronouncing the word.

Tifa sighed, oh the naïve mind of an eight year old. "I guess I've always enjoyed the music from pianos. It makes me feel tranquil."

"Really?" Cloud said, interrupting their conversation. "I've never seen you near a piano in my entire life."

"I guess I have no time anymore, especially now that I have the bar to deal with, and looking after Denzel and his schooling." Tifa said. "Actually, that reminds me, when we get back I have to pay Denzel's school fees-"

"HOLY SHIT!" Barret suddenly shouted in his booming voice, interrupting Tifa.

"Daddy! Don't use potty words!" Marlene ordered from behind him.

"What's wrong?" Cloud said, suddenly alert like a lion hunting for its prey.

"Bee!" He shouted.

"Bee?" Tifa said and then looked past his shoulder to see a small swarm of giant wasp-like bees. They were the exact same type of insect that they had seen dead earlier. The giant bee's varied in size. The biggest ones were about the size of a bed pillow and then the smallest were around the size of a tissue box. Tifa didn't have time to count them all but she guessed there were atleast 8 there. She stepped back into her fighting stance and started to feel that familiar feeling of battle go through her veins. 'Finally, something to do.' She said humorously to herself.

Cloud didn't show any expression of surprise, he pulled his sword out and swung it significantly in front of him and moved into his battle stance. Prepared to take out the nearest bee with his sword.

Barret quickly pushed Marlene behind him and ushered her behind a nearby boulder. "Stay here, sweetie. Daddy'll get rid of those nasty bees."

"Be careful!" She softly shouted as he started to load his gun arm and position himself behind Cloud.

The three of them revolved in a circle so that Cloud was at the front in the centre and Tifa and Barret were slightly behind him at his sides. The first giant wasp suddenly charged at Cloud quickly. He stepped forward and swung his sword downwards and perfectly cut through the very middle of the insect. The wasp started to buzz violently and then fell to the ground before him. Green ooze began to come out of it and some of it got on Cloud. He didn't have time to pay any more attention to the fallen wasp because another one came at him. He dodged the stinger and swung himself around and swayed his sword in the air at the wasp but he only managed to clip its wing.

With a clipped wing the wasp started to fly unevenly and tried to retreat from the conflict. But Cloud didn't allow this and stabbed the wasp before it could even try. More green slime splashed onto him.

Tifa stayed by Clouds right rear side. She was always on his right and backing him up and helping defend himself. Cloud had this certain fighting style where he would just slash and slash and keep attacking his opponent. It was up to Tifa to provide defence for him. She launched herself forward and kicked the bee in front of her and sent it darting through the air into a tree. It splattered on the tree and green slime sprayed onto Barret who was nearby. Tifa then went straight into another attack by punching a nearby wasp. She punched it several times before it actually fell. More green slime splashed around them.

She looked around her, choosing her next prey out of the remaining wasps that were buzzing everywhere around them. She was about to raise her leg to kick a close by wasp but felt something sharp go into her ride side. It was razor-sharp and went deeply into her. At first, when it first entered her it felt like a huge, cold needle and didn't hurt. It stung a little but didn't feel too bad. She looked down to see, probably the biggest wasp there at the time, with its stinger right into her. She saw red fluid start to drip out the edges of where the stinger was. Everything was feeling slow to her. Tifa reached her hand forward and grab the wasps head and ripped it out of her body and threw it away, pulling the stinger out of her in the process. It was at this point, she began to feel pain.

It was throbbing and tingling insanely. So much that it left Tifa feeling frozen in place. She couldn't get herself to move. She was shocked. Blood began to pour out of the big wound and was trickling down her leg. She felt herself start to breathe again but at the same time she felt her wound begin to have an immense sharp pain. She reached her hand down and placed it on the wound and felt her body pulsing around it. She started to feel light headed and weak. Finally Tifa managed to say something, even if it was just a whisper, "Cloud."

Cloud sliced his sword through the last giant bug. Barret came by his side and put his hand on his shoulder and shook him victoriously and chuckled. "About time something interesting happened."

Cloud turned to him and smiled in response. He saw a scared Marlene come out from behind the boulder and Barret went to go comfort her since she must have been terrified. Cloud just smiled reassuringly at her and then looked around at the dead bugs around him. Then amongst the green slime he saw red mixed with it. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He followed the trail of where the red blood was coming from to mix into the green slime. At the end of the red blood he saw Tifa standing there, breathing heavily and her hand over her right side, covered in blood. He felt his heart begin to pound against his chest. He leaped over several dead bugs and ran to her. He caught up to her and examined her.

She was standing there breathing profoundly. Her eyes were unmoving as she stared at the ground in front of her. She seemed like she was in a state of shock. This wasn't the Tifa he knew. He moved his gaze to her wound and moved her hand to see a deep stab into her body. She was losing blood quickly. "Teef." He softly said as he couldn't take in what he was seeing. He slowly sat her down and rested her back on a tree stump that was behind her. He cradled her into his arms and overlooked her properly.

She was breathing deeply. "Teef, can you hear me?" He said firmly. He watched her eyes slowly move to look at his face. She shifted her head very tenderly and nodded to him. Her face was, expressionless, lifeless and as white as a ghost. "Can you breathe?" He choked out as he felt a lump in his throat start to form.

She moaned in response. Cloud didn't know what that meant but he knew this wasn't good. He didn't know what those stingers from the wasps could do. Were they poisonous? Had they poisoned Tifa? A thousand thoughts went through his mind and then he remembered.

"Barret!" He shouted.

Barret came running over with Marlene behind him after he saw Cloud and Tifa in the distance. Instantly he knew what had happened. He grabbed the side of Tifa's black shirt and ripped it to get the fabric off the wound. He threw the blood drenched piece of cloth to his side. Cloud ripped some of his shirt off the side and then tied it around Tifa's wound and tightened it to stop the bleeding.

"Tifa." Barret said. "How are you feeling?"

Tifa blinked slowly and looked up at her fatherly figure. She smiled weakly, "It hurts." She said softly.

Cloud still had her cradled in his arms. He pushed some of her hair off of her forehead and as he did this he felt how warm she was. Not just warm, hot, really hot. "You're boiling." Cloud said as he felt her forehead.

Barret did the same and nodded in agreement, "You're burning up. We need to get something cool and dehydrate you."

"Well this environment certainly doesn't help. It's so humid here." Cloud said as he angrily forced himself to think of a plan. Words rushed through his head as he argued with himself.

_I need to help her. _

_How?_

_Stop sitting around and thinking and start doing something you fool!_

_What do I do!_

_Cool her down!_

_How!_

_Water, fresh air, get her out the jungle._

_I don't have the time to look for any water sources._

_Then get her out of there!_

"We need to get out of this jungle." Cloud said, "Teef needs fresh air."

"Do we go back or continue going the way we're going?" Barret asked.

Cloud forced himself to think again. It had taken them nearly two days in this jungle to get to where they were now so going back wasn't an option. But he didn't know how much longer they had to go. He could continue going at a faster pace but who knew, maybe it would be hours or weeks before they reached fresh air if they continued going.

He looked down at Tifa. She had her eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping. He looked up at Barret.

"There's only one way." He said. Barret frowned in confusion.

"What are you thinking Cloud?"

"We split up-"

"No. No! Hell man! We are not going to split up, not now with Tifa in this condition."

"That's exactly why we need to split up!" Cloud said resolutely. "I'm going to carry Tifa and continue going down this already cut path. You are going to find a source of water and then as fast as you can follow this trail to find us. I don't know how much longer this path will go for, but atleast, if we _do_ have a long way to go, we have you as a back up to cool her down. If we _are_ close to the end of it then hopefully we will be out of the jungle and Tifa will be able to take in the fresh air."

Barret could understand Cloud's plan. It wasn't the smartest one he's had but it certainly was safe. Either way, Tifa will get cooled down. He nodded, "I'll take Marlene. So I don't have to feel the anxiety of worrying about two of my girls."

Cloud nodded at him and then they both stood up. "Be careful. Don't wonder far from this path or you will lose it and will be lost."

Barret looked at the two one last time and then turned and quickly scurried off, pulling Marlene along with him. Soon they were out of Clouds sight.

Cloud turned around and looked down at Tifa who was lying on the ground. Her eyes were closed and her chest was slowly rising up and down – indicating she was alive.

Her eyes then slowly opened and she smiled wearily at Cloud. "This is a stupid plan." She said softly.

"It's the only safe way to ensure that you will be cured in the end." Cloud said and then kneeled down beside her and picked her up – bridal style.

Tifa chuckled lightly. "Are you really going to carry me the rest of the way?"

"Your light."

Tifa smiled and then went back to resting in Clouds arms. Trying to disguise the pain that was within her body. She could feel her body burning and her energy slowly dying. She had realised a while ago that the stingers from the wasps were fatal as she felt herself get dizzy and lightheaded. Her head was throbbing just as much as her injury was. Her bones were aching and agony spread from her shoulders to her ankles. Tifa closed her eyes as she rested in Cloud's arms. Wondering if she'll ever open them again to see those glowing Mako eyes.

* * *

**Am I cruel enough to kill Tifa off? Well we'll have to find out in the next chapter.**

**Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave a quick review!**

**Fallen Angel 24 x**


	10. Leader, Protector, Mother, Fighter

**Thank you to Volixia669, ChaosAngel4us, TopazDragon and cloudlover2989 for your reviews :) Here's chapter 10!**

**Enjoy: Leader, Protector, Mother, Fighter**

* * *

Leader, Protector, Mother, Fighter

"Finally." Red said as he saw Tseng and Rude come out of the shadows from the jungle.

Denzel stood up and then woke up the sleeping Cait Sith that was next to him.

"We kept at a fast constant speed. I hope you know that it was quite a long journey, just for water." Tseng said, irritated.

"We should get going quickly. I want to be in the lava tubes before that storm comes back." Red said as he turned.

Tseng looked up to see heavy grey clouds above his head. They were bunching up together and looked like they were ready to water the island. The trees around him were already starting to sway from the pressing force of the wind. He followed Red into the cave mouth with everyone else.

They walked forward for a while until they were in complete darkness. Rude lit up one of Red's sticks he had gotten and held it up. The cave lightened up but only far enough for them to see a few feet in front of them. Tseng lit up another one and gave it to Denzel to hold.

Denzel hesitantly took the torch and looked at it with an alarmed expression. He hated fire and kept the torch a certain distance from himself. "Thanks." He said slowly to Tseng.

They had now entered one of the lava tubes. It was all grey inside, the colour of ash. They could see layers and layers of cooled down lava that had now turned to dark greys. There were cracks and lumps everywhere. The tunnel was almost 3 feet across. The tunnel had a very organic feel to it; they could hear echoes and this certainly freaked Denzel out. He just prayed that he'd be able to see daylight again after this trip through a volcano. **[A.N. Picture of a lava tube here: lunarnautics(dot)com(slash)images(slash)lava-tube(dot)jpg]**

Tseng was, as always, leading the way with Rude beside him. Cait was behind them and a few metres behind Cait trailed Denzel and then Red behind him, bringing up the rear.

"Will we come across any monsters in here?" Denzel asked as he eyed the walls of the tunnel.

"No need to be afraid, Denzel. We'll cruise through here quickly and quietly." Tseng said over his shoulder.

Denzel sighed. They had been walking for ages and his arm was aching and getting tired from holding up the torch. He was no longer terrified of the small flame of fire, he had gotten used to it by now but he was still very cautious.

"How long is this tunnel exactly?" Cait Sith said after a while. It had only been around 40 or so minutes but the eerie silence made it feel like decades.

"All I know is, we'll be travelling through here for a few hours." Tseng said.

"Wonderful." Red muttered from the back.

* * *

Cloud stood on the edge of the cliff and stared thoughtfully at the bridge in front of him that had been destroyed. He eyed the broken and snapped pieces of rotten rope that remained hanging by the edges with wood planks dangling off some of them. Was this recent? Or years ago? This bridge could have fallen years ago for all he knew, or it could have been destroyed by his friends as they were passing. If it was his friends who did this, did they make it to the other side? He swallowed hard at that thought. He inched closer to the edge and peered down. He whistled at the drop. His eyes couldn't see anything at the bottom except a thin line that would have marked a river. He stepped back and turned to the jungle. He looked at the nearest tree towards him, the tree that Tifa was currently resting on. Her skin was pale, her eyes were closed and most of her clothes were soaked in blood. Cloud had done everything he could to stop the bleeding but it wasn't enough. If only he had some restore materia than he could save her from this disastrous fate.

He walked over to her and then crouched beside her and looked over her. He brushed some of her hair out of her face and then stroked her cheek. Her skin was still warm but her fever was cooling down. "Tifa," he said softly, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." She replied weakly and she kept her eyes closed. Her breathing stayed at a slow pace.

"Keep resting." Cloud stood up and looked back at the fallen bridge. How could he get across here?

"We haven't stopped because I need rest, have we?" Tifa said, she could always tell when something was bothering Cloud, and she knew her new illness wasn't the whole reason.

"No." He replied.

"What's stopping you?"

"A dead end."

"Dead end?"

"We've reached a cliff. I can see the other side but the gap is too big to jump." He explained.

"And there's no way across?" Tifa said as she slowly fluttered her eyes open and lightly shuffled in her place.

"There _was_ a bridge."

"Was?"

"It's broken; either the rope must have just gotten old and snapped itself or something cut through it. Either way, we can't cross it. It's basically nothing but ropes and planks left dangling around." Cloud said as he examined it.

"Do you think it were our friends who left it like that?" Tifa said with optimism and hope lingering in each word.

"Possible." He said simply.

"Do you think they made it?" She said gradually.

"Who knows? I don't even know when this bridge was destroyed. It could have been months or years ago or a day ago. Anyway, it doesn't matter. It's no use to us now." Cloud said feeling defeated.

"Well, we know that our friends came down this way, if they reached this bridge and it was already broken, what would they do?" Tifa said as she pushed herself up so she was sitting up straighter, she let out a small hiss as she felt pain in her abdomen.

Cloud's eyes darted to her when he heard her act of pain. "Careful," he crouched next to her again and felt her forehead, "Your temperature is getting better. Are you still losing a lot of blood?"

"No, you stopped most of it." She said as she looked down at her bloody clothes. She shut her eyes as she felt more pain as Cloud placed his hand over her wound.

"If only I had restore materia with me."

"I know what we need to do."

"So do I." Cloud said as he lifted his eyes to look at her. "We need to find Yuffie."

"She has all the materia."

Cloud sighed. Things were getting worse and worse. "Let's wait for Barret and Marlene to catch up."

Tifa nodded. "The pain _is_ fading."

"Good." Cloud said, "Could you… stand?" He asked reluctantly. He didn't want to push her too much.

Tifa held her hand out for him to grab. He reached for it and then pulled her up in one swift movement. Her hand reached for her wound as she felt a dull pressuring pain. She let go of Cloud's arm he was using to support her and took a small step. She took 3 more and looked back at him and smiled lightly.

"It hurts but it's nothing I can't handle." Tifa said.

Cloud nodded and smiled at her. He knew it would have hurt a lot more but she was just trying to be strong. He looked around with a sudden feeling. He couldn't really name this feeling; it was just one of his instincts. Tifa noticed his odd behaviour and asked him, "What's wrong?"

"Perception gets the better of me all the time."

"Maybe for a reason." Tifa said with a new feeling of anxiety as she scanned the area around her.

"Most likely." Cloud said slowly as he got lost in his own thoughts. He turned to see Tifa walking around, headed nowhere in particular.

"Where are you going?" He asked as if he was talking to a little girl who was trying to escape.

"Nowhere. Just trying to test my walking abilities, I can walk but I don't think I can run without feeling a vast amount of pain." Tifa said as she stretched her arms to see how far she could reach without feeling pain.

This went on for a while and Cloud watched her, since there was nothing else to look at except the scenery he was sick of from day one. Tifa was always a flexible person but her flexibility was limited now due to her injury.

"Teef, sit down, rest." Cloud said as he patted the spot next to him for her to sit down on. Tifa turned to look at him and she had a small smile on her face but the smile slowly vanished and her face was in a new state of shock.

Cloud turned to where she was looking to see a strange looking monster. It was the size of an eagle and its beak was unusually sharp. Instead of having feathers, these creatures were covered in black shiny scales. Their claws were long and were sharp and strong enough to cut through a rock. But the one thing that really threw Cloud off guard was the red blood filled eyes that stared at him. The creature stepped forward by an inch and lowered its neck. It looked like it was about to pounce, but why would it pounce? It was a bird? Well, it had wings in other words.

Cloud stepped forward and put his hand on the handle of his sword; he tightened his grip on it and stood in a battle stance, ready to attack. "Tifa," he said sternly, "Stay back."

"Cloud-"

"I've got this." He said stopping her from arguing.

Tifa just stayed standing where she was. If Cloud needed back up, she was going to be there for him.

The creature then stood up on its hind legs and spread its large wings and made a screeching noise. The noise made Cloud cringe and Tifa flinch. It had called more. 3 more of the creatures appeared in the sky above them and were flying in a circle. Cloud pulled his sword out and prepared himself for the attack. He took a deep breath and then the monster in front of him launched forward at him. Cloud dodged it and pulled himself to the right and out of the creature's path. He swivelled on his heel as he stepped out of the way and brought his sword down to cut through the monsters right wing. It screeched loudly and then three birds above them swooped down at them.

Cloud dodged two of them and the third one went for Tifa. "Teef, look out!" He shouted in warning.

Tifa ducked out of the bird's way and that small movement was all it took for her to feel pain. She whimpered and lifted her hand to clutch her wound. She looked up again at the bird that was coming down at her. She timed it out and at the opportune moment she dived to the side, feeling that pain increase again. She shut her eyes tightly as she felt it. She quickly jumped up and the monster was running towards her, when it was close enough Tifa swung her right leg around and kicked it in the face. The bird flinched back and went on its hind legs and spread out its wings. Tifa began to feel the sharp pain where her wound was increase more from her last kick. She cringed at it and clutched her abdomen. Her legs weakened and she just wanted to collapse but she knew that wasn't a possibility at the moment.

Then she felt a warm breathe on her neck. Her neck straightened and her eyes widened. She hesitantly turned her head to the left to be face to face to the monster. Its red blood filled eyes staring into her brown eyes. Its smooth beak touched her nose as it inched its face nearer to her. She swallowed down her throat hard and then the bird screeched loudly that its high pitched screech was ringing in her ears. It was so loud that it felt like it tore through her eardrums. She stepped back and brought her fists up to fight.

The monster launched at her and she ducked and punched it several times furiously at it. She kicked it high into the air and then kicked it again like it was a giant ball. The monster was thrown back and it hit the grass like a ragdoll. It nearly came close to falling over the edge but it turned and dug its claw into the grass to stop it.

Cloud slashed his sword through the third monster again. He had killed the first two and they were now slaughtered and lying on the ground. They couldn't compare to his quick movements with his blade. The monster screeched at the cut and then hurled its head forward at him. He ducked and then pierced his sword upwards and it went right through the monsters neck. He pulled the sword out and then gave it one last swing to chop the head off. Blood had splattered over his face and clothes through the battle and stepped back from the fallen creatures, disgusted.

He heard Tifa from behind him cry out. He turned and held his sword in front of him. The monster swiped its claws down and scratched Tifa violently on the side of her face. She felt it cut through her skin. She pulled herself away and tried to lift her leg to kick the bird, but her injury stopped her. She felt the pain become too much and she bent over in an attempt to ignore it but it just made it worse. She felt blood running down the side of her neck from where the bird had clawed her. She could see it in front of her now; it was low and was ready to pounce on to her.

She screamed as she saw its claws push off the ground as it came at her. But then a flash of grey and silver slashed through it and it fell to the ground. She stepped forward to see the Buster Sword knifed through its neck, its red eyes open, staring at her. She let go of the breath she had been holding in.

Cloud came running up to her. "Are you okay?" He had blood all over him and his blond hair had gone practically red from being soaked from blood. He had some scratches on his arms and his left pant leg was ripped and blood was dripping out of it.

"Are _you_ okay?" Tifa asked.

"I'm fine, but you're the injured one." He said.

Tifa looked down; the pain in her abdomen had nearly gone. It was only temporary. Tifa raised her hand to the cut down the side of her hairline. "I have the least amount of cuts in that last battle, I win." She grinned.

Cloud chuckled. "What about you're wound from the wasps? Has it healed?"

Tifa looked down at her wound. "It hurts, but then it doesn't, but then it does."

"Even with that injury you fought well." Cloud said as he pulled his sword out of the dead bird's neck.

"I took on one, you took on three. And in the end, you killed the fourth one." Tifa said in disappointment. "I'm useless." She said quietly.

"You're injured. I'm sure you would have sent those monsters running if you were your old self." Cloud said, trying to cheer her up.

Tifa smiled at him. "Thanks for the optimism, Cloud. You know," She began, "I'm feeling really icky with all this blood on me."

"I feel the same way. Maybe we can wash up somewhere nearby," Cloud said.

"Should we though?" Tifa said, "We don't want to lose Marlene and Barret."

"Let's leave a sign."

"Like what?" Tifa laughed, "Like a message in the sand?"

Cloud raised a brow and walked over to a nearby rock. He bent down and picked it up and then kneeled onto the ground. In front of him he began carving a letter into the grass and dirt.

Tifa began laughing, "You're not serious? Are you?" Her laughter died down from the pain that was beginning to grow from the small action.

"You know me, Teef," He said and turned to her, "When am I not serious?"

She laughed more and then walked over to him. She looked down at his inscription that read.

'_Barret stay here.'_

"Barret stay here? You really couldn't be briefer, could you?" She said with her hands on her hips, Tifa's traditional pose.

"Hey I'm in a rush to get this, now dried, blood off me." He said and then walked past her. "Now we embark on the journey of hygiene!" Cloud said dramatically and pointed up to the sky to give him that more heroic effect.

"Yeah, yeah, come on." Tifa said as she walked past him.

* * *

"I'm so thirsty." Elena said. It had been three full days since they had had a proper drink of water. The only thing keeping them remotely hydrated was the constant downfall. By this time, her throat was sore and she was feeling lightheaded. So was Reno and Cid.

"Quit your complaining, Elena." Cid said from the front of the small group.

Elena was surprised at this comment. "Excuse me?" she said and stopped walking.

"I'm tired, I'm hungry, my feet hurt, I have a sore ankle, I miss my friends, I'm thirsty…" Cid said in a high voice trying to sound like an exaggerated Elena.

"Wha- Excuse me?" She repeated.

Cid stopped walking and turned around and next to him Reno copied his actions lazier and with a sigh. "You know what, Elena? I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, I want my cigs and I miss my friends too. But am I constantly complaining like you? No! I'm sick and tired of hearing you whining."

And with that, Cid turned and continued walking and Reno slowly turned and walked behind him. Again, with a sigh.

Elena just stayed standing, speechless. "Well who made you the leader?" Elena shouted, jumping to a completely different topic but trying to continue the argument.

Cid stopped, shocked and turned around. Reno sighed again and turned with him and looked at the furious Elena. "Who said I was the leader?" He asked.

Elena was once again, speechless; she never was good at winning debates or arguments. "Well you sure do act like one!" She retorted.

"Only because someone has to take the lead! I don't see you or Reno keeping us going! Out of the three of us, I'm the only one doing all the work!"

"Work! What work!" Elena said, raising her voice higher, "All you've done is lead us no where!"

"Lead us no where! I'm trying to find the others! I'll admit we haven't made very much progress but atleast I'm doing something!"

"Well I'm so sorry if I'm not contributing enough to the team!" Elena said desperately. "But maybe you could-"

"Ah shut up!" Reno interrupted. "Let's just continue, okay?" He said and then turned and took the lead.

Cid just closed his eyes and then opened them. He nodded at Elena and she sighed back and the two of them turned and followed Reno. They walked in silence for the next 30 to 40 minutes or so until Reno spotted something through his tired eyes.

It was a tree with fruit dangling off its branches. The first fruit he had seen on the island. The tree was only small and accompanied only thin branches with small leaves attached. The fruit dangling on it was a circular and would appear to be like an orange or an apple except it was a dull grey and white colour. Making them look like ghosts of fruit. Never the less – Reno was hungry. He began to jog with the little energy he had to reach the tree. He licked his hungry lips as he reached forward and pulled one of the fruit off. Before he could take a bite out of it he was stopped by Elena's voice.

"Reno wait!"

He sighed and turned to look at her, the fruit only inches from his mouth.

"You don't know anything about that fruit and by the looks of it, it doesn't look that nice." She warned.

"This entire island is strange; to be honest I'm not surprised to come across odd fruit like this." Reno replied.

Elena turned to look at Cid, hoping to find some support. He just shrugged, "Hey, if he wants to eat it, let 'im eat it. If it turns out tasting good, I'll have some."

Elena just sighed and nodded in defeat to let him eat it.

Reno grinned and then took a big bite out of the fruit. It tasted a little dry at first, which was odd considering all the rain. It was also really powdery, like it turned to flour in his mouth and began to taste like ash. And that's what it tasted like, a mixture of ash and flour. There was absolutely no juice in it at all. Reno scrunched his nose up as he tasted the powdery fruit. He stuck his tongue out and tried to wipe it of using his hands and shirt.

Elena looked at him in repugnance. "What does it taste like?"

"Ash, flour, powder and dust." Reno replied as he continued wiping his tongue with his shirt.

Elena just lightly giggled and Reno shot her a glare.

"It may not taste nice and have a very unusual texture but it is food and I am still hungry." Reno said and then out of pride he took another bite of it, to come to the same taste he encountered previously.

"Reno just stop." Elena said as she watched him begin to cough, "You'll make yourself sick." She said motherly.

Cid just rolled his eyes, "Elena, let him do what he wants." He said, still feeling a bit of emotional pain from their small conflict before.

Elena just made a noise of disgust. "Let's keep moving." She said, wanting to move on.

Reno just dropped the fruit in his hand and followed her while Cid just reluctantly trailed at the back, muttering to himself;

"If I don't find someone who isn't a Turk soon, I swear to God, I'll…"

* * *

Yuffie rested against a tree trunk while Vincent stood not far from her, examining the area they were in. She just glared at him with fire in her eyes. If only he had listened to her, they wouldn't be in this mess:

_A Few Hours Ago:_

"_It feels like something has passed here." Vincent said as he looked away from her but back to where he was originally looking. He still stayed standing in front of her though._

"_It could have just been a wild animal or-" _

"_A person." Vincent said as he cut her off, "A human went past here. Look at those tracks. If you look close enough, you can see the outline of a boot." Vincent said as he pointed at nearby mud. The footprint was incredibly vague due to the current rain but you could see the outline of it._

"_Well-" _

"_I don't know if it was one of us or someone unknown but I think we should follow it." Vincent said._

"_Maybe we should lat-"_

"_Go fetch any of your belongings back at the hut, we're leaving, now." Vincent said._

"_We just came from that wa-"_

"_Do you have anything in the hut?" Vincent asked as he looked back at Yuffie._

"_Well, no but-"_

"_Good, we can leave now then." Vincent said and began walking._

"_Vincent! Wait!" Yuffie said but Vincent just looked over his shoulder and motioned her to follow him. "It's raining!" She shouted at him._

"_It's just rain."_

_Yuffie groaned and continued after him; the rain still pouring down on her and the wind blasting in her face. _

_She followed him for the next 20 or so minutes. She was so angry at this current situation, does he not realise that they had just come from here! And now they were going back to where they came from! She felt like screaming, not only because of Vincent's instinct which she had grown tired of, but this stupid rain! This stupid rain! This stupid wind! This stupid weather! This stupid island! And definitely this stupid man! Finally, without hesitation she yelled:_

"_This is stupid!"_

_This of course caught Vincent off guard, not knowing that she was creating an inferno inside her. He turned and looked at her with a blank face. _

"_Yuffie, come on." Vincent said and then turned again and continued leading the way back into the forest. _

_She just stared at him in surprise. Could he be this dense? She sighed and then ran up to him so she was now beside him._

"_Vincent," she said and he looked at her. _

"_Yuffie," He replied._

"_Have you noticed we've already come this way?" Yuffie said._

"_I have noticed." He said simply._

"_And that we should be going that way," She pointed behind them, "Instead?"_

"_I feel as if we missed something." Vincent finally admitted._

_Yuffie just looked at him with an irritated expression. He sure knew how to work her temper._

"_What could you miss in a dead forest like this?" She screamed at him, finally letting all of her anger out. Vincent stopped walking, as did she, and looked her with wide and puzzled eyes. _

"_I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" Yuffie screamed again. Vincent just stood there looking at her. _

_She opened her mouth about to scream again but was stopped when she felt something close her lips. Her eyes widened and her heart began to beat faster. She was in complete denial and couldn't believe this was happening. Vincent Valentine was kissing her?_

_It was no dream, his lips were embracing hers. After a second of shock, Yuffie closed her eyes aswell, and let herself get lost into the moment. His lips first came onto hers with a force but now they were only as light as a feather. Vincent's lips tasted like the rain that fell around them. Never had Yuffie loved that salty taste of the rain until she savoured it on his lips. His hands were cupping her face, supporting it and holding it towards him whilst Yuffie's arms just dangled beside her. _

_Then his lips left hers, Yuffie opened her dreamy eyes to see Vincent stepping back, he turned and began walking again, as if nothing had happened. Yuffie just stood there in confusion and automatically began following him through the rain and the dead, haunted forest._

Yuffie leant her head back on the tree and closed them in tiredness. She would love nothing better to be at home in Wutai right now.

Vincent continued staring at the very same rock he had been staring at for the last few minutes ever since Yuffie had wanted to rest. They had been travelling in silence the entire time after he had kissed her. He didn't know what had come over him. He just wanted her to stop being so angry and to calm down and the only way he could think of to do that was to kiss her. So he did. It was only meant to be a quick peck, but his lips had a mind of their own and decided to linger there on hers for a little while longer.

The rain had finally stopped after a while and the sun had finally decided to show itself so they were nearly in dry clothes. He turned to look at Yuffie who had her eyes closed and was resting against the tree. She looked so peaceful. He couldn't help but watch her for a little while longer before breaking her moment of peace.

"Yuffie." He said simply and her eyes opened and she looked at him blankly. Vincent just looked at her for a while, waiting for her cheerful grin to appear on her face.

But it didn't.

"We should keep going before nightfall. We'll have a proper rest then."

Yuffie just nodded lightly and stood on her feet and Vincent turned and continued leading the way.

Yuffie just watch his red cloak as it swayed behind him. A tear fell from her left eye and then she continued following him.

**

* * *

**

**Sorry for the lack of Yuffie and Vincent interaction in the last chapter. I didn't really have anything to do with them in that chapter. Hopefully the flashback I put in here was enough. (Sorry! Again)**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**FallenAngel24 x**


	11. After The Sun Goes Down

**Huge thank you to ChaosAngel4us, cloudlover2989, Yoshirama and Yuffentine Lover for reading and reviewing! **

**Here's chapter 11 :) Enjoy; After The Sun Goes Down**

* * *

After The Sun Goes Down

_He's looking at you. He wants it, He wants what is yours. He will take it soon._

Tseng couldn't identify what it was; he could hear something in his mind, continuously warning him. It was slowly taking over him. This unknown word of warning was slowly tearing him apart inside and turning him into something else. For some strange and mysterious reason, Tseng allowed it. He allowed the unfamiliar voice to take over him. He believed this would make him stronger. He believed that this would help him protect his precious treasure.

Tseng reached his hand into his pocket to feel the comforting warmth from the rock; the reassuring glow that would feed him energy. It was almost like a drug to Tseng. He couldn't imagine this crystal in the hands of someone else.

He continued leading the horde through the tunnel, as he walked at the front. Occasionally glancing back to see if everyone was accounted for and that no one wandered off. Tseng would keep a certain eye on his fellow companion, Red. Something about that creature made him want to just take his crystal and swim to the next island with it. A vision flickered in his mind for an instant moment; _he saw himself holding his gun and aiming it at Red. He was about to pull the trigger until Red leapt in front of him and tore his head off in one quick, rapid movement. _

Tseng whipped his head over his shoulder to see Red at the back of the pack, their eyes met and he glared at Red. Then turned his head again and continued walking.

Red frowned in confusion at Tseng's actions. Something strange was happening to that man, he knew it and he could feel it. He was acting very odd and out of the ordinary. Red didn't know Tseng personally but throughout all their short encounters he always took Tseng to be a stern and serious, a born leader who kept calm and was a polite and civil person. Red questioned if his impression on Tseng was just wrong and he was a very secretive and guarded man or that he was under an influence. Perhaps the island was driving him into madness and lunacy or something else was guiding him down the path of peculiar behaviour.

Never the less, Red was going to keep not one - but two eyes on the chief of the Turks.

They had been walking through the lava tube for nearly 6 hours now and Denzel was starting to lose his patience. He was hungry, tired and wanted a shower. Not only was the long and exhausting travel driving him crazy but the lack of socialisation was something he missed. For the last 6 hours of walking through this god-damn tunnel, a total of zero words had been shared.

Another 30 minutes passed of the same circumstances. Denzel could feel his legs getting weary and his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. His pace had started to slow down from the lack of motivation and energy and he was nearly as far behind as Red was. Red noticed Denzel's behaviour and decided to suggest;

"Maybe we should rest now. It's probably late at night."

Tseng stopped walking and turned and nodded. Rude dropped to the ground and rested on his back, his sunglasses not revealing whether he was asleep or not. Tseng rested against the wall of the tunnel, near Rude while Cait Sith turned his system off and went to sleep. Red lay down on the ground and watched Denzel rest against the side of the tunnel and lean against it.

Denzel reached into his small pouch and ate a few of the orange berries he had gathered. He only took 4 since he knew he had to ration them carefully. After he was satisfied he closed his eyes and went into a land of his imagination. Hoping to find some comfort and happiness.

_(Denzel's Dream)_

_He skipped down the wooden stairs of 7th Heaven carrying his shoes in his hand. _

"_Tifa," He said as he walked into the bar to see her wiping some glasses clean with a cloth. She turned from the sink and smiled warmly at Denzel._

"_Yes, Denzel?" She said as she twisted and turned the glass in her hand as she wiped it inside and out._

_Denzel held up his shoes, "Last night in the rain, my shoes got pretty muddy. What do you want me to do with them?" He said as the red shoes dangled from his hands._

_Tifa sat the glass next to the sink and plopped the cloth on the other side of the sink. She wiped her hands on her bartending apron while she walked over to Denzel. She looked at the shoes, "Take them to the washroom and leave them there, out of the way and I'll clean them for you later." She explained._

_Denzel nodded and turned on his heel and started running up the stairs and left the shoes near the washroom on a shelf. He turned and could hear cursing coming from outside. His small head poked out of the window and saw Cloud underneath Fenrir with a wrench in his hand and his tool box nearby. Denzel eagerly ran back down the stairs - causing Tifa to look over her shoulder at him wondering what he was up to - and then out the door. _

_Denzel walked over to Fenrir and saw Cloud's spiky blond hair underneath it. "Hey, Cloud." He piped._

"_Ah!" Cloud jumped in surprise and hit his forehead on Fenrir. He came out from under it, rubbing his head, and looked up at Denzel. "Denzel, you scared me, buddy." _

"_Sorry," He apologized, "What are you doing?" He stepped closer to him._

"_Just fixing some loose parts on Fenrir." Cloud said and then put the wrench down in his toolbox. He looked at Denzel, "Have you done all your homework?"_

"_Yeah, I didn't have much." Denzel explained. He picked up a nearby dirty rag that was lying on the floor, "Can I clean Fenrir?"_

_Cloud smiled at the young boy, he always wanted to help. "Go for it." Cloud said and Denzel wandered off to dampen the rag. _

_Cloud picked up all the loose tools lying around and placed them back in his tool box and then went to put his tool box away. By the time he came back he could see Denzel wiping Fenrir clean. He walked over and stood next to Denzel and placed his hand on his shoulder. Denzel looked up at Cloud and grinned and Cloud smiled back and ruffled his hand in Denzel's hair. He opened his mouth and said, "Look after yourself, bud." _

_Denzel frowned in confusion at him, "What?"_

"_Look after yourself." Cloud repeated and then everything faded into darkness._

Denzel opened his eyes to see the roof of the volcanic tunnel. He was surrounded by darkness but as his eyes adjusted it became easier for him to see. He could see Red only a metre away from him lying asleep on the cold tunnel floor. Rude was lying in the middle with his sunglasses shielding his eyes, Tseng rested against the tunnel wall near him. Cait Sith was standing near Rude and was currently shut off.

Everyone was still asleep. Denzel shuffled in his spot and sat up a little to straighten his back. He thought back to his last dream and remembered it actually happening back at home. It was a memory, except for the last few words that Cloud spoke. 'Look after yourself.' He said to Denzel. Denzel felt his heart get heavy as he thought of his figurative father. He missed him. He wasn't going to give up though, even if he had to roam the island by himself searching, he would not give up. Just like Cloud said, Look after yourself.

He sat there in the silence waiting for someone else to wake up. The simple tap of his fingers were enough to make the tunnel echo. He didn't bother trying to go back to sleep, he knew he wouldn't be able to.

So for now, he just sat there in the silence. Watching everyone else in their silent slumber.

* * *

The sky was a dark snowy grey and musk filled the cold night air. Elena stared into the night sky as she searched for the moon, but its face was nowhere to be seen. The clouds overhead were so thick that no amount of starlight or moonlight could get through. The stars in the sky were nonexistent as puffs of grey, the colour of soot and ash, floated in the sky like balls of cotton. Elena was currently lying flat on her back on the dusty ground. Cid was sitting against a tree in the distance – asleep.

Elena sighed and sat up. She couldn't get herself to sleep. She turned to Reno who was standing and leaning against the nearest tree. He was only a few feet away from her. "Reno," She said softly.

"Hmmm?" He hummed.

"I don't think I'll find any rest here tonight, I'll go on watch, and you can sleep." She explained. It was too risky for all of three of them to sleep so they always took turns on being the lookout.

Reno nodded and walked over to Elena who was still sitting on the ground. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I have too much on my mind to go to sleep." She said as she stood up and dusted her back. She let Reno go find a spot to rest, not far from where he was previously by the tree, and then she walked distractedly around.

Hours passed of Elena walking, scanning and exploring the area. There was nothing interesting in particular. The scenery was the same in the entire forest. Dead, leafless trees, spiky, lifeless shrubs and a rock here and there. She sat down a rock and let herself got lost in thought.

Minutes passed of her just thinking.

Suddenly she heard a small hiss from behind her – snapping her out of her daydream. She turned her body around and looked over her shoulder to see one of the creatures they had encountered before, on the bridge. The black mutated birds. Only this time it was bigger than those, twice the size of an eagle, maybe even three times the size but Elena didn't have time to look properly before it launched quickly at her. She screamed and dived to the right and landed on her shoulder.

Reno heard the scream and his head jerked up to see the beast attacking Elena. Elena didn't have time to get up so in a desperate feat for survival she pulled her gun out and shot at the creature. She hit it on the side of its chest. The creature pulled back but then threw itself at her again, like the bullet didn't wound it the slightest bit.

Reno shambled himself to his feet and then quickly ran over to Elena, he pulled out his rod and shot a bolt of electricity at it. The beast turned its attention from Elena to Reno and then stood on its two hind legs and spread its wings open, looking very intimidating to Reno. Reno took a big gulp and stared at the beast as it initiated its attack. Luckily, in his time of fear Elena shot the bird 3 times in the back. It didn't even react to the pain and was about to jump at Reno but was stopped when a spear landed in front of it. Cid came running in with a cigarette in his mouth shouting a string of very colourful curses at the monster.

The creature turned to Cid and screeched highly at him and then it commenced itself at Cid and pushed Cid to the ground. The monster pinned his shoulders to the ground with its long sharp claws and growled at him. Cid was in a state of shock, it happened so fast and now he was completely vulnerable to the bird.

Elena came in and shot the bird continuously. Shot after shot, she kept shooting and it was doing nothing. She kept shooting at it until she ran out of ammo. Her heart jumped in her chest as she realized she had nothing to use to restore her gun. She looked around desperately for a weapon or something she could use before the bird took a bite out of Cid's head.

Reno attacked the bird with his lightning, stalling time and trying to weaken it. The creature seemed to be taking some pain from the bolts of electricity he sent through it but not enough for Reno's liking. He ran right up to the creature and held his taser on it for a long time. Cid scrambled to get out from under it while Reno distracted it but his shoulder was literally pinned to the ground and was in severe pain. Reno's weapon started to weaken and he knew it needed time to re-charge. So in another method of attack he punched the bird on the face. His fist colliding with its hard, rock like beak nearly broke his hand. Its red, blood thirsty eyes stared at him. He thought he was going to die right there and then on the spot.

Cid still tried with all his might to get out of the birds killer grip but he just couldn't manoeuvre its claws off of him. Rocks started hitting the creature as Elena frantically tried to stall time by throwing them. The bird sent its attention back on Reno and it looked like it was about to pounce on him until it was pushed off of Cid onto the ground. Another creature attacking it.

Elena looked at the other creature in confusion and surprise. Reno gladly let out a huge breath of relief and then helped Cid stand up. Cid had a horrifying injury on his right left shoulder and blood was dripping down his arm from it.

A Four-Pointed Shuriken then cut through the air and stabbed the creature's wing. Elena looked to where the shuriken came from and brightly smiled as she saw Yuffie running into play. She was overwhelmed with a wave of relief and happiness. Her eyes got watery and she was on the edge of tears. "Yuffie!" She screamed in joy and ran to her friend.

Yuffie jumped in the air and caught her shuriken that was coming back. She grinned and pulled Elena into a tight hug.

After Reno saw Yuffie come into the scene he recognized the other beast to be Vincent- Well Chaos… But still Vincent. Chaos finished the monster off by clawing its head off. As he got off the monster he slowly turned back into Vincent.

Reno was glad to see that the two of them were okay, but he wasn't as cheerful as Elena and Cid were. Cid had forgotten all about the intense pain coming from his shoulder and walked to Vincent, "Oh, come here ya beautiful bastard!" Cid said in happiness and pulled Vincent into a very awkward hug. Vincent just stayed content with his normal blank expression and patted Cid on the back.

"It's good to see you're alive." He said, the sentence lacking the enthusiasm.

"You too mate, you too!" Cid said joyfully.

Elena and Yuffie came and joined everyone. "Cid!" Yuffie said happily and pulled into a hug aswell. Reno just stood there awkwardly as they all reminisced with eachother. Yuffie spotted him on the corner of her eyes and smiled at him, "Okay, you too." She said and hugged him aswell.

Elena looked up to see that it was still night and then looked back to see Vincent examining Cid's wound.

"Yuffie," Vincent said.

She turned and looked at him.

"We need some restore materia." Vincent explained and Yuffie nodded. She reached into her pouch and saw her restore materia. She handed it to Vincent and Vincent mended Cid's shoulder with it.

"You have materia with you?" Reno said surprisingly.

"Mmmhmm," Yuffie hummed, "I always have my materia with me. I haven't had to use it until now though."

The atmosphere started to turn into an awkward silence between everyone. "So," Reno said gradually, "How have you been?"

Vincent looked at Reno oddly, "We've been looking for others for the last four days."

"So have we," Cid said, "We haven't found anyone except you two."

"Likewise," Vincent said. "Have you come across any discoveries that have told you where we are?"

Cid shook his head, "I woke up on the beach with Elena. We went straight into the jungle, looking for civilization. Elena and I were attacked by some giant wasp-like bugs and then Reno found us in the jungle and we travelled together in the jungle. We came across a bridge and were attacked by eagle like creatures, like the one you just killed, but a hundred more and much much smaller. We came across an empty village and-"

"An empty village? Where? When?" Yuffie interrupted.

"About half a day's journey from here." Reno answered.

"Was it half burnt down?" Yuffie pushed.

Cid nodded. Vincent and Yuffie exchanged a knowing glance. "So we did hear something." Vincent said.

"What? Hear what?" Reno questioned in confusion.

"We were in that village at the exact same time as you! We were probably just a few huts away!" Yuffie said in annoyance, "We heard someone crying and yelling but found no one."

Elena's cheeks started to burn into a rosy red.

Cid sighed, "Well, it's over now. You've found us."

"And saved our lives." Elena said.

Yuffie smiled at her. Cid still couldn't keep his grin off his face. He was thankful, now that he had found someone who he could completely trust. He felt new hope and determination inside of him.

"You guys," Reno started slowly and quietly, "Haven't by any chance heard or seen anything that would indicate Rude is around, have you?"

Yuffie looked at him sympathetically, "No," She shook her head, "I'm sorry I haven't."

Vincent shook his head too, pitying the Turk. "We should rest now and when morning comes begin searching for our friends again. I have a very strong feeling that they are around somewhere."

Cid eagerly nodded at Vincent, "Yes," he said brightly, "Very, very good idea Vincent."

Reno and Elena looked at him oddly; his attitude had definitely changed now that he had found Vincent and Yuffie.

Yuffie and Elena departed and sat nearby against a tree together, talking and sharing stories.

Reno just lay down right where he was and looked up at the cloudy night sky. Vincent gave Cid a nod and they went to rest.

"So you haven't encountered any monsters or creatures?" Elena said to Yuffie.

"No, not one. Except the one we just killed for you." Yuffie admitted.

Elena smiled at her and hugged her again, "Yuffie you don't know how happy I am to have you join us. I felt like I was going to go insane with these two."

She nodded in understanding, "I know Vincent was driving me around the twist!"

They laughed together and went back into a more serious conversation. "So, no news of Tifa?" Elena said, even thought Vincent had said they didn't come across anyone, she had to be sure.

Yuffie looked down at her hands in front of her sadly, "No." She said quietly.

"We'll find her, Yuffie." Elena said reassuringly.

Yuffie smiled sadly at her, "We should rest. I haven't had a proper sleep in ages."

Elena nodded and they both fell asleep next to one another leaning against a large tree trunk.

* * *

The waterfall was thin as the clear water fell from a higher level. The water sprayed various directions and as the water hit the creek below it would create a small explosion of light feathery mist. Several smaller waterfalls surrounded the creek, so small that it would appear to look like tea pouring from a kettle. The trees surrounding the creek ranged from draping palm trees to stiff wrangly branches. The creek was enclosed with several uniquely shaped rocks that were kept a damp peachy puff colour from the wetness of the waterfall and some were covered with moss and teardrops.

Tifa breathed in and took in the serenity of the area. It was beautiful. The atmosphere was so fresh and calm. Just being in the presence of the waterfall made her relax. She could hear numerous frogs around her croaking. It was a place people would dream of. She could spend forever in a place like this. She was thankful and lucky that she and Cloud had stumbled upon this creek. It had only taken them around an hour to finally find some water. The only thing missing was Barret and Marlene.

Cloud appeared beside her and put his hand on her shoulder, "Who would have thought that in a jungle like this you would find such a peaceful place."

Tifa lightly smiled, "Let's wash ourselves up." She said and Cloud nodded.

Tifa stepped into the creek. The water level reached her waist. She looked over her shoulder awkwardly to see Cloud pulling his shirt off. His back was to Tifa and he was facing away. Tifa watched him reveal his bare back and she felt her heart jump. Sure, she had seen Cloud shirtless a few times before when they go swimming, but they were usually around a lot more of their friends. Right now, it was just him and her. She looked down at her reflection in the water and her eyes widened.

Her hair was a mess; she could see darker shades of blood in it and a leaf or two tangled in it. She frenetically started straightening her hair and pulling the leaves out of it. Why didn't Cloud or Barret tell her that she looked awful? She could hear splashing behind her and she was hesitant to look. She didn't know whether Cloud had taken off all his clothes or just his shirt. After debating in her head she subtly glanced over her shoulder to see he was still wearing his pants. He had his shirt in his hands and was washing them in the water. Tifa wanted to do the same with her clothes but it was a little uncomfortable with Cloud around. He was her best friend and her secret love; it would just be over the top ill at ease.

Cloud noticed Tifa's gaze on him and he looked up at her. He was about to ask if something was wrong because she didn't look to happy, then he realized that he was making her uncomfortable. "Do you want me to leave?" He asked, sensing she wanted to undress and wash herself.

She looked up at him surprised, "Oh no, it's okay." She said politely as she stood there, waist deep in the water, swaying her hands around in the water and watching it ripple.

Cloud smirked, "Don't lie, Teef. I know you too well. I'll leave in a second."

Tifa looked down at the water embarrassed but was secretly thankful. Cloud finished washing his shirt and then he wandered over into the outskirts of the area, "I'll be over here if you need me, which you probably won't, but if you do… Well you won't, never mind… forget I said anything." He said embarrassedly and then disappeared in the shrubs.

Tifa was about to pull her shirt off to clean herself but stopped when she heard Cloud's voice and made her jump, "Call me when you're done!" He shouted from within the trees.

Tifa looked carefully at the place he disappeared into. She was feeling a little anxious but she knew she could trust Cloud. She let her worries slip away as she cleaned herself. She watched the blood in her clothes wash out into the creek. After she was done she ducked under the water and washed her hair out.

"You can come out now." She said and Cloud poked his head out from within the trees, to see Tifa dressed and all cleaned up. Her hair was still dripping wet. He watched beads of water from the back of her head travel down her neck and the down into her chest. "Cloud?" Tifa said, snapping him out of his day dream.

"Huh?"

"We should probably head back now. Barret may be there."

"Yes, definitely." Cloud agreed keenly, "We should, we should." He said whilst trying to ignore certain images he was having in his head.

Barret held onto Marlene's hand as he guided her down the narrow path that he was previously walking through. They walked for almost 3 hours until they stepped out into the daylight. Barret had to squint as he stepped out of the jungle. The light from the sun was so different from the darkness in the jungle. He looked around looking for any sign of Tifa and Cloud. He spotted big black unknown things lying on the ground further down. He walked there and when he realized they were dead monsters her shielded Marlene's eyes.

He guessed and hoped that it was Cloud who slaughtered them. It looks like something Cloud would do to them, the way they were cut. The sight was too much for Marlene to look at however.

"Marlene, baby, don't look okay. You have to stay standing and facing this way." He said making her face the opposite way. Barret sighed; he guessed that Cloud must have left since it was too dangerous for him and Tifa to be here. He didn't know what to do or where to go.

Only a few minutes passed and Barret was getting impatient.

"Daddy, where's Uncle Cloud and Aunt Tifa?"

"No idea, sweetie, no idea." He said as he looked at the dead birds. They were definitely strange looking eagles. He noticed the fallen bridge a little further up. He was hoping that Cloud and Tifa didn't cause that bridge to break. He doubted it though; he knew they wouldn't cross any bridges or go anywhere until he had returned. Then why isn't he here? Barret thought to himself. Should he be worried?

Barret huffed as he argued in his head. Then finally he saw Cloud spiky hair pop out of the jungle in front of him. He sighed with relief and tiredness aswell.

"Cloud, where the hell have you been!" He exclaimed.

Cloud just smiled at his friend, "Sorry, we went to clean up ourselves. We had blood all over us."

Barret smiled as he saw Tifa, "Tifa, you're up and about!"

Tifa grinned, "I'm okay, it's healed and I can walk now. That's about it though. Fighting just makes it worse."

"I can imagine." Barret agreed,

"Can I turn around now?" Marlene said annoyed.

Tifa frowned in confusion and then realised it was because of the dead monsters. Instead her and Cloud walked around and stood in front of her. Marlene jumped onto Tifa, happy to see she was okay.

"So I take it you saw my message?" Cloud said with a pinch of pride in his words.

Tifa glanced up from hugging Marlene and smiled as she remembered the very brief message Cloud wrote in the dirt nearby.

"What message you talkin' about, man?" Barret exclaimed in a position of confusion.

"The one I left you." Cloud said, sounding a little hurt.

Barret raised a brow.

"The one in the dirt." Cloud added.

Barret shook his head.

"The one nearby." He added.

Barret shook his head.

"The one with your name."

Barret shook his head.

Cloud sighed and was just thankful that Barret had decided to wait for them.

He looked up and gazed at the night sky. They had wasted nearly a whole night. "We need to rest now. Tomorrow will be day four on the island. Hopefully we will be lucky." Cloud stated.

Barret nodded in agreement. Cloud watched him walk over to Marlene and told her it was time to rest. He watched Tifa give Marlene one last hug and then Barret led her over to a plusher area not far for her to rest. Tifa turned and smiled at Cloud and then walked over to him.

"You gonna get some rest?" Tifa said as she stood in front of him.

Cloud looked up at her with a gentle smile from where he was sitting on the grass. "I think I'll stay awake and keep watch."

She sighed, "We all need to rest Cloud and you are no exception."

Tifa stood still waiting for a response from him but he just kept silent. Typical, she thought to herself. She turned her neck to see Marlene lying down not far next to Barret. She started to walk to her own space to sleep for the night. Her hand rested on her wound and she could feel it aching as she walked. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore it. Before she knew it she was falling into a very deep sleep.

Cloud stayed awake for an extra hour, watching their surroundings. After he was sure it was safe to let his guard down he let his eyes slowly close.

* * *

Black, lengthy, skeletal, scrawny-sharp claws that could cut diamonds in a single swipe slowly crept nearer and closer to the sleeping being. The presence of the mysterious one was enough to make a grown man ill. It raised its deathly razor-sharp claws and then, at the speed of light, struck down at the inactive figure.

A piercing scream was heard.

* * *

**Please Review and I may even update tomorrow!**

**Fallen Angel 24**


	12. Durin

**Big thank you to Yuffentine Lover, Volixia669, ChaosAngel4us, cloudlover2989, XXSilverXTwilightXX, Helliebabe and XxVioletxX! You're support and reviews are amazing! Thanks!**

**So, this chapter is a lot shorter than usual. Sorry! But atleast something is up. This chapter touches on the island natives more and reveals a small part of the island history which will help you understand Tseng's 'condition' a little better.**

**If you are a little lost and have forgotten about the 'Renpau' I would strongly suggest you go back to Chapter 6 "Wings of a Shadow" and read the last part. Well, good luck guys!**

**Enjoy; Durin.**

* * *

Durin

Yuffie's eyes shot open as she felt a sudden and unexpected jab go through her lithe stature. Her acute and painful scream woke everyone around her. Especially Elena who was a second ago, sleeping next to her.

Elena felt her breath escape her throat as she saw the hideous monster with its claws in her friend. As she looked at the monster she realized it was similar to a Demon only with slight differences and larger in size. Elena scrambled to do something to help Yuffie but had no clue. In a useless attempt to help her friend she launched her body weight at the Demon and tried to push it away. The Demon stumbled and its claws came out of Yuffie. Its eyes now rested on Elena. Yuffie quickly felt her energy abandon her and was beginning to feel lightheaded from the intense pain she was suffering from.

In her blurry view she could see Reno and Vincent running towards her and Elena and Cid in the background throwing his spear at the Demon that was about to attack Elena.

The spear stabbed at the Demon but it was not enough to bring it down. Luckily for Elena it was enough for her to escape. She took the opportunity and fled to Reno and Vincent who had just reached them. Reno used his taser and stabbed it into the Demon while Vincent ran to the weak Yuffie nearby, resting on the tree that she and Elena were previously asleep on.

Vincent reached Yuffie and could hear Cid swearing at the Demon behind him as he attacked it with his spear. Vincent put a finger under Yuffie's chin and raised her head to look at him. Her eyes were weary and revealed her pain. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and then moved his attention to her pouch of materia. He took it from her and pulled out two green materia.

"Elena, Reno!" He called. Once he had their attention he threw each of them materia.

Elena used Mystify on the Demon and confused it whilst Reno used Fire, eventually killing the Demon. Cid was the first to run to Vincent and Yuffie, and Elena and Reno followed.

"How is she?" Cid said as he reached them and was puffing lightly from the physical fighting.

Vincent's hands put more pressure on Yuffie's wounds to try stopping the blood. "She's lost a lot of blood. I can't find any restore materia." Vincent said as he chucked the bag of materia at Reno who nearly dropped it.

Reno's hands began rummaging through the bag until they rested on some restore materia that was hidden at the very bottom. "Found the bugger, it was at the bottom." Reno said victoriously and passed it to Vincent who used it on Yuffie.

Elena let out a huge breath of relief and wiped the sweat off her brow.

"I wonder if the others are running into all of these monsters." Reno said in thought as he stared at the dead Demon.

"It's possible. However, Yuffie and I haven't encountered any until we met you." Vincent responded as he stood from where he was once kneeling to help Yuffie.

"We seem to carry bad luck." Elena said.

"Hopefully we don't run into any more." Cid said.

Yuffie stood and was feeling healthier again. She still had slight pains but they would wear off eventually. She raised her gaze to the slow sunrise that was coming.

"The sun will be up soon." Yuffie said.

Vincent nodded, "We may aswell begin searching again for the others."

"Where are we going?" Elena said. "Are we going to continue going through this forest?"

"We've already been through here." Yuffie said. "I doubt the others are in here. Vincent and I would have found them by now."

"So we're going back?" Reno said irritated.

"I don't think we have a choice." Vincent said. "If we go this way Yuffie and I will eventually end up where we started."

"And if we go the other way we'll eventually end up where we started." Reno said. His tone had become more firm.

Cid was feeling just as irritated as Reno was. They were going around in circles. He felt like he had wasted time, valuable time. He let out a heavy sigh and put his hand on Reno's shoulder tightly and shook him delicately. "Let's just go." He whispered to him.

Reno sighed aswell and turned to Elena and gave her a look of agreement. Elena felt disappointment cloud her mind. It would take them atleast another half a day to get back to the village. She watched Vincent take the lead with Cid behind him. Reno hesitantly followed and then Yuffie smiled weakly at Elena. Elena returned the smile and reluctantly joined them. There was no use arguing.

* * *

His eyes opened slowly as he saw the beautiful blue sky. A loud yawn escaped his mouth followed by a normal morning stretch as he extended his large arms. He sighed and looked down at the young girl sleeping on his lap. Barret petted her head and then looked ahead to see Cloud and Tifa talking. They were standing towards the cliff and pointing various directions and looking around. They must have been searching for an alternative way to get across. He leant down and placed a light kiss on Marlene's forehead.

Her eyelids gradually fluttered open. "Morning, daddy." She said as she let out a cute yawn.

"Morning, baby." Barret said and then slowly got up and helped Marlene stand.

They walked slowly to Cloud and Tifa who were deep in conversation. Like they always were. Barret couldn't help but feel left out half of the time. He cleared his throat and they both looked at him expectedly.

"Goodmorning?" Barret said.

"Oh," Tifa smiled, "Goodmorning Barret and Marlene."

"Morning." Cloud said simply.

"Goodmorning Aunt Teef and Cloud." Marlene said.

"What's the plan?" Barret asked, getting straight to the point.

"There's no way across from where we're standing. The best thing to do right now is to walk alongside the cliff." Cloud explained. "I don't feel keen on going back into that jungle."

"Maybe we'll come across another bridge or something of use will appear." Tifa finished for him.

Barret nodded. "Can we eat first?"

Cloud raised a blond brow. "Eat what?"

Barret smiled and reached into his pocket to pull out two small nectarines and Marlene pulled a handful of small orange berries from her dress pocket. Tifa looked at them in bafflement.

"Where and when did you get food?" She exclaimed.

"When we split up Marlene and I came across a large berry bush. There was also a nectarine tree but only had 3 nectarines on it."

"Where's the 3rd one?" Cloud asked and Barret just away. "Nevermind." Cloud said.

"You two can have the nectarines and Marlene and I will have the berries."

"Are you sure?" Tifa said.

"Daddy already had 2." Marlene said.

Tifa looked at Barret in surprise, "Two?"

"Oh yeah, I think it may have been 4 nectarines that I picked off." Barret said casually as he pretended to scratch his back.

Cloud just shook his head and sighed as he took a nectarine from Barret's palm. Tifa just laughed lightly and took one. They ate quickly and silently and then began to journey down the edge of the cliff.

Cloud and Tifa walked side by side with Barret and Marlene right behind them. "When are we going home?" Marlene asked.

Barret looked down at his little girl, "Hopefully soon baby."

"Has everyone else gone home?" She asked.

Tifa glanced at Cloud intentionally and he reflected the look. "We don't know Marlene, hopefully their safe. And if they have gone home, hopefully they'll come and save us. Hopefully they haven't forgotten about us." Cloud said

"I heard the word 'hopefully' too much for my liking, Cloud." Barret noted.

"It's all we truly have right now," Tifa said,

"Hope."

* * *

"The track ends here, Remotay." A Renpau said to their Renpau leader.

Remotay pushed passed the other Renpau who were standing around uselessly. "What do you mean the track ends here?"

The Renpau swallowed hard and started to feel nervous in front of his leader that their master had assigned them. "We cannot track any further."

"The track does not just end. We have followed this track for nearly 2 days and it cannot just lead us to nothing." The leader Renpau stated.

"What do we do now, sir?" A fellow Renpau asked.

The leader opened his mouth and was about to scold the younger Renpau but was interrupted by another fellow primate.

"Sir! Sir! I've picked up the track again." One called. Remotay shoved his way pass the fellow members of his tribe and saw the Renpau in the distance. "It appears the stenches of the dead stingers were covering their scent."

Remotay nodded and signalled for the Renpau to continue tracking the odd people. Their master had put him in charge of the hunt to kill them. Remotay was head of the Renpau on the island. He often thought of himself as the King of the Renpau's. He looked back to see the Lexigen's trailing behind. He scrunched his nose at the sight and the smell of the creatures.

They were a lot larger than the Renpau. Atleast twice the size of a human. They originated deep in the caves and were a mutant breed of cave trolls. They were large and muscular and were covered in bristly green coloured fur that was the colour of dead grass that needed water. They had small bottle top eyes and a large mouth that had two large buck teeth. The Lexigen weren't the smartest creatures on the island but they certainly were the strongest. It would take an army of 50 to bring down one. Their incredibly thick and rough skin provided fantastic protection for them.

Remotay's master had ordered him to bring them so that when the Renpau had finally caught the unwanted beings the Lexigen could kill them.

Remotay understood why his master wanted the humans exterminated. Once, long ago on their island they had a similar guest who they welcomed. He called himself a human and went by the name Durin. At first Durin was kind to the natives and enjoyed their hostility. He would often hunt with the Renpau and would help build homes and forage food. His kindness towards the island natives soon vanished and he began to go insane. He started to see the natives as enemies to him and in his insanity he started to destroy the island. Durin unleashed hatred over the island and was quickly becoming unstoppable. Remotay's master gathered an army and eventually brought him down. Durin was defeated but his spirit still lingers on the island, waiting to be set free.

Remotay wondered if these humans were going to be the ones to set Durin free. What if they were Durin's allies? Coming to save him? Coming to avenge Durin's purpose? Remotay tried not to think about that.

He pushed all memories of Durin out of his mind and focused on the task at hand.

* * *

"Sunlight." Tseng said happily as they finally exited the long tunnel they had spent the last half day in.

Denzel squinted as the bright sun shone in his face. It was a huge change compared to the darkness of the volcano.

"The weather is certainly strange on this island." Red said. "When we entered the tunnel a storm was on the brink of happening. Now we exit it and the sun shines brightly."

"Weird." Rude added.

"Certainly, Rude." Tseng said.

_Stop stalling. _

"Come now." Tseng said loudly. So loud in fact that Denzel nearly jumped out of his skin.

_We must near the river. It will be the perfect place. _

"We must continue. I know the perfect place to go to." Tseng said.

"The perfect place for what?" Cait Sith asked.

Tseng just smirked and began to lead the way.

"You will see." He said.

With no more questions they all followed him as they entered the jungle that surrounded the volcano. The jungle was very different to the jungles on the western side of the island. They were much emptier and clearer. Fruit was seen growing everywhere. It was a lot neater.

As they walked, Denzel would occasionally pull an apple off a tree and start to snack on it. Red walked next to Denzel.

"Denzel." Red said.

"Yeah," Denzel said as he bit out of his apple.

"How do you fare?" He asked.

Denzel frowned, "Huh?" He said as he chewed on his apple.

"How are you feeling?" Red re-stated.

"Not bad. Besides being stranded on a weird island and trying to survive on resources I don't have and wondering if the people I love are alive." He said.

Red sighed, "I feel the same." He didn't truly enjoy having to have a conversation like this with Denzel but he didn't have any other person to talk to. Cait Sith seemed to always be in his own world. Tseng was just mad. Rude hardly spoke. For the sake of Red and Denzel's social sanity, Red had to see how he was.

"Red."

"Yes?"

"What's wrong with Tseng?" Denzel whispered so Tseng wouldn't hear them.

Red looked at the young boy in surprise. So he wasn't the only one who had noticed Tseng's behaviour. Maybe he was underestimating the 10 year old.

"I don't know, but I don't trust him." He whispered back.

"Neither." Denzel agreed.

_Their plotting against you. Their planning to kill you._

Tseng's head buzzed and he was feeling heated. He was so pressured. Everyone expected him to do everything. He was one man! Not five! Why did he have to do all the work!

"It's not fair!" Tseng shouted catching everyone off guard.

He looked at everyone carefully, squinting as he examined them. Rude stood there emotionless with his sunglasses covering his eyes. Cait Sith looked shocked and Red and Denzel stared at him and then shared a knowing look with eachother.

_The boy must go first._

Tseng turned and continued leading the way.

The rest slowly hesitated as they followed him. Tseng's breathing was very loud and very deep. Rude was starting to truly worry. He walked faster and caught up to his aggravated friend.

"Tseng, are you okay?"

Tseng looked up at Rude and Rude noticed something that made him shiver. Tseng eyes were darker than usual. His pupils were heavily dilated. "I am fine, Rude." Tseng said as a quick smile flashed on his face but disappeared a second later.

"Weird." Rude said to himself as he continued following them.

* * *

**So, what do you think? Review and let me know! Are things starting to make sense? Are you even more confused? (If you are... message me.) **

**Hopefully I've opened a whole new door for your minds :)**

**Thanks for reading and please Review!**

**Fallen Angel 24 x**


	13. Superior

**Huge thank you to ChaosAngel4us, ann, cloudlover2989, Volixia669, XXSilverXTwilightXX, Yoshirama, Yuffentine Lover and XxVioletxX for your reviews!**

**This is just a short filler. Forgive me again, for it's length. It's leading up to an event though so it is _kind of_ important to read. **

**Enjoy chapter 13; Superior. **

* * *

Superior

"This island sure knows how to test my patience." Cloud said.

Barret agreed with him. "What day is it?"

"Day 5." Cloud said.

Barret heaved a heavy sigh, "No matter what, we're stuck on this freaking island for days to come."

Cloud and Barret started to get lost into conversation as they walked. Marlene wandered next to Barret and Tifa was trailing along at the back. She would appear to be fine to the gentlemen ahead of her but the truth was she was struggling inside.

They had been walking for nearly 4 hours now and her side was aching like hell. She placed her hand over the fabric above her wound and felt the injury throb even more. She took another sharp breath and pushed herself forward. She knew she couldn't last much longer and at some point they had to rest. She was surprised that Marlene hadn't complained once, which is secretly what Tifa was waiting for.

Another 10 or so minutes flew by and Tifa felt like collapsing in the pain she was in. It was starting to give her a headache. Her walk had turned into a limp. The others didn't notice because they were ahead of her. She took another deep breath and tried to hide the pain that was probably screaming from her facial features. "Cloud." She said, but not loud enough for the boys to hear.

"Cloud." She said firmer and clearer.

His spiky haired head ascended as he heard Tifa's soft voice behind him. He turned and raised a brow to see an exhausted Tifa.

Barret followed Cloud's actions and frowned as he looked at Tifa.

"You okay Teef?" Barret said.

She nodded keenly, "Yeah. Can we have a quick rest?" She sounded as if she was holding in her breath.

Barret just smiled, "Yeah, let's take a break." He said and he and Marlene went into conversation as he straightened out her dress and sat her down.

Tifa sat down on the ground with heavy breathing. Cloud noticed her laboured breathing and walked over to her with a concerned expression.

Tifa tried to hide the pain but she could feel tears on the corner of her eyes. She didn't want to think of herself disabled but she knew that this injury of hers would be a burden. Her abdomen was feeling incredibly tight.

"You alright?" She heard a familiar voice slowly ask. She looked up to see Cloud standing there with a troubled face.

She weakly smiled at him. Cloud could tell she was faking it onto her face. "Yeah, just tired."

"Teef, you're in pain." He said.

Tifa sighed, Cloud knew her too well. She could never hide anything from him. "The injury, it aches."

Cloud sat down next to her and took her hand away from where it was sitting, on the wound. She looked up at him with her big doe eyes and he looked at her for a moment. A quick second passed of them embracing eachother's eyes. He stroked her palm with his thumb and then let go of her hand and ran his hand over her wound. Tifa hissed as she felt the pain increase a little.

"You need to rest." He said simply.

Barret appeared behind Cloud. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Tifa's wound is hurting. She is not well enough to keep going."

"For now." Tifa added.

Cloud tilted his head towards her and smiled, "For now."

Barret sat down next to Cloud and sighed, "Fucking bee's."

And with that Cloud just laughed.

* * *

Vincent lightly chuckled at the sight before him. "And this is the bridge we broke." Cid said embarrassedly as he gestured his hand at the bridge.

Vincent's subtle grin remained on his face, "Broke? More like destroyed."

Cid smiled at his friend.

"We were attacked."

Vincent's amused smile melted back into his serious gaze. "This was a foolish act Cid."

Cid looked at his friend questioningly. "Foolish? I ain't no _damn_ fool, Vincent." He said.

Vincent stared at the broken bridge, "What made you think that our friends would be on this side of the island? Wouldn't it make more sense if they were on _that _side?"

Cid looked thoughtful for a while and had an approving face, "Well, I found you Vinnie." He said and placed a hand on his mates shoulder and smirked victoriously.

Vincent frowned at him, "Don't call me Vinnie." He said. Even though the words would appear friendly, something about Vincent's tone suggested – _say that again and I'll kill you._

Vincent's eyes than rested on something in the distance on the other side of the gap, "I thought you said the creatures that attacked you were smaller than the one we encountered earlier."

"They were." Cid said as he lit up a cigarette that sat in his mouth. "Why?" He said with the cig in between his lips.

"The dead ones over there appear to be the same size." Vincent pointed at the dead monsters on the other side.

Cid squinted. "Now wait a minute." He said, "They weren't there last time."

"You didn't kill them?" Vincent raised a dark brow.

"Nup."

"Then who did?"

Cid turned back to look at the others. Yuffie and Elena were sitting down not far from him and were in deep conversation. Probably gossiping about what girl's gossip and Reno wasn't far just standing there day-dreamingly. "Elena, Reno." Cid motioned to them to join him and Vincent.

Elena got up and Yuffie followed her while Reno obeyed Cid's orders. "Yes?" Reno said.

"Those dead things over there," Cid said and pointed at them, "They weren't there before were they?"

Reno looked surprised, "No, they weren't"

"They're a lot larger than any of the monsters that attacked us on the bridge anyway." Elena added.

"What killed them?" Reno said as he stared at the slaughtered monsters.

"Or who." Vincent said.

A wide and bright grinned emerged on Elena's face. "It had to be one of us."

"So we aren't the only survivors." Vincent said his eyes still set on the dead creatures. He appeared to be lost in thought.

"They must have come to the bridge to see it broken." Reno said.

"And were attacked?" Yuffie questioned.

"Must have been?"

"Whoever killed those would have needed a weapon. They have been sliced and slaughtered." Vincent said as he still kept his gaze on the killed beings.

"A sword?" Yuffie said with a smile.

"And who do we know wields a sword?" Vincent said.

"Cloud Strife." Cid said with a smirk.

* * *

Tseng paced nervously around the small area that Red had decided they should rest in for a while. Denzel was patting Red and playing with Cait Sith while Rude simply stood there awkwardly.

_Look at them. They don't care about you. _

Tseng wiped his sweaty forehead and took a deep breath. His eyes glared at them as they laughed.

_Listen. They're laughing at you. _

He exhaled through his nose and pulled at his collar as he began to feel strangled. The pressure. There was too much pressure. Stop pressuring me!

His head was spinning wildly and he was feeling really hot and sweaty. They were driving him mad. Why were they doing this to him! Couldn't they see the pressure and stress he was suffering from!

Tseng grunted ferociously and kicked a nearby rock really hard as he watched it skim along the water. He yelled at it as he watched and then screamed louder.

Denzel went wide eyed and was terrified. Red however wasn't surprised. He could see Tseng nervously pacing everywhere. Something was going on with him. Rude walked up to the breathless Tseng and patted him on the shoulder. Tseng looked at him and Rude just nodded respectfully.

Tseng sighed and turned on his heel and walked away for some peace.

_They think you're insane. Their still staring at you y'know. Like you've gone crazy._

Tseng sat down by a tree and looked up at the sky. He shut his eyes tightly and tried to ignore the voice in his head. It was the voice that was making him feel like this. He reached into his pocket to feel the comforting warmth of his stone. He smiled as he stroked the stone with his thumb.

He could hear footsteps crunching the leaves as someone approached. Tseng's back stiffened and he turned his head slightly to see the man who intruded his moment of peace.

"Tseng, about the plan-" Rude began but was interrupted by Tseng's voice.

"The plan will continue, Rude. Do not tell me you aren't comfortable with it anymore." Tseng said strictly.

Rude looked down at his friend. "I don't think the others will be very happy with us killing one of their wisest and oldest friends." Rude explained.

Tseng stood up and stood in front of Rude – Face to face. "Are you a Turk?" Tseng said.

Behind Rude's dark lenses he rolled his eyes. Tseng always said this if someone didn't agree with his plan. "Yes. I am a Turk."

"This is what Turk's do, Rude. You should know by now." Tseng said and stepped closer to him and whispered into Rude's ear, "Do not forget the plan."

Rude cleared his throat. "Cloud won't be very-"

Tseng raised his hand, silencing him, "How do we know that Cloud is even alive?"

Rude looked at him confusedly. "Are you suggesting that the sea swallowed Cloud Strife?"

Tseng looked away and gazed into the jungle surroundings. "It's possible."

"I don't think a storm and the sea would be able to take out someone like Cloud." Rude said.

Tseng looked at his companion with annoyance. "The plan will work, Rude." He said reassuringly.

Rude looked at Tseng for a moment. His eyes were back to normal. His pupils weren't dilated and they were its original colour. "Are you feeling better?" Rude said.

Tseng smirked. "Better than ever." He said as he stroked his crystal in his pocket again.

_Superior._

_

* * *

_**I'm sorry to say that the next chapter will be around the same length but I'll make it up to you guys with an extra long one after that! Promise! So look forward to chapter 15 or 16 :)**

**I hope your prepared for what's about to come! Thank's again for all your support, this is my first story and it's really good to know people are enjoying it.**

**So Review and let me know what you think!**

**The Fallen Angel 24 x**


	14. One Down

**Thank you to Volixia669, XXSilverXTwilightXX, cloudlover2989, ChaosAngel4us, Yuffentine Lover, Yoshirama and XxVioletxX.**

**This one's a little longer than the previous one. I'm not 100% happy with this one but it's more of a filler than a chapter. **

**Enjoy: One Down**

* * *

One Down

"Are you okay to continue now?" Barret said to Tifa. They had been resting for nearly an hour and Tifa was still feeling tired and her wound still hurt. She looked over at Cloud and Marlene. Marlene was propped up on Cloud's shoulders and was giving her a piggy-back ride. They were both laughing and had smiles plastered on their faces. Her lips curved up at the sight.

She nodded at Barret, "I think we've wasted enough time as it is."

"It's okay, Teef. Safety first." Barret said.

Tifa raised an eyebrow at him and smiled, "I never imagined hearing that come out of your mouth."

Barret chuckled lightly and sat down beside her, "Man, I wish the others would hurry up and come out of where their hiding."

Tifa's smiled slowly faded back into a neutral expression.

"We're meant to return home tomorrow. Hopefully when we don't suspicions will arise and people will begin looking for us." Tifa said.

Barret nodded in agreement and then swung his arm around Tifa and pulled her close to him, "As long as I have my two beautiful girls with me, I'm absolutely happy."

"What about your beautiful boy?" Cloud said as he and Marlene walked up to them.

Tifa and Marlene giggled. Cloud's face was stone cold serious and Barret was a little lost for words.

Then Cloud's serious expression broke out into a grin, "I'm only joking."

Barret exhaled a sigh of relief. "Shit man!" He exclaimed, "I thought you had started going crazy."

They all laughed and once the laughter died down a little Cloud looked at Tifa.

"Are you okay to continue now?" He asked.

"I'll be fine." She said.

Cloud gave her a hand up and helped her stand. He began leading Tifa and Marlene alongside the edge of the cliff whilst Barret seemed reluctant to move.

"Yo Cloud!" He called, "You gonna help me up?"

Cloud just ignored him and the three continued walking.

Barret grunted loudly and pushed himself of the grass and then jogged to catch up to his friends. They walked in silence for the next few minutes just enjoyed the comfortable absence of sound between them. Barret noticed Cloud kept itching at his neck and his arms. It was starting to really irritate him.

"Stop it." Barret said simply.

Cloud looked at him, "What?"

"Stop itching, you're making me itchy!" He exclaimed. Cloud just shrugged and continued walking. He was only a couple of feet in front of Barret and Marlene and Tifa were further away from the edge walking hand in hand. Tifa was a little too cautious and didn't like walking on the very edge of a cliff. She still kept a wary eye on Cloud and Barret as they seemed to enjoy walking so close to the drop. She looked at Cloud after Barret had made the last comment.

It was true. Cloud had been scratching himself unusually a lot. Barret had even started to feel itchy himself and was trying to resist the temptation to scratch.

Tifa sighed and shook her head at the two as she watched them walk and scratch themselves. She looked down at Marlene who was steadily walking beside her while Tifa held her small, petite hand in hers.

"Everything okay, sweetie?" Tifa said as she noticed Marlene was unusually quiet.

Marlene looked up at Tifa and said, "I just wanna go home."

She sighed and ran her fingers through the young girls' silky hair. "We will soon. We just have to find the others first." She said reassuringly.

"Like Denzel?" Tifa heard her say next to her. She looked down at the naïve child. Her big brown eyes were enough to bring Tifa on the edge of tears.

She weakly smiled at her, "Yes. Like Denzel."

* * *

Cid, Elena, Reno, Vincent and Yuffie walked together alongside the edge of the cliff. They had debated at first of what to do. Once they had realised Cloud was alive and on the island they had new hope. Cid had suggested finding another way across and Reno had suggested Vincent turning into Chaos and flying around the place. Reno actually began insulting him and saying he should have done that earlier. Yuffie and Vincent had to explain how Chaos worked and that Vincent couldn't just transform into the Beast, he had to be angry. It was a Limit Break for him. It took them a while to get the message clearly through Reno's mind. After finally discussing all their options they decided it would be best to find another way across by walking along the edge of the cliff.

They walked for the next hour in silence except for Yuffie and Elena who would talk non-stop at the back. Vincent leaded the way with Cid at his side and Reno just tagged along in the middle, feeling left out. He wasn't the only Turk there, he had Elena with him too, but ever since Yuffie and Vincent had joined them he had been ignored. Ever since AVALANCHE and the Turks had tried to become friends, Reno, Rude and Tseng never really clicked with anyone. Elena seemed to just fall in love with Tifa and Yuffie though. Ever since then she seemed to always pick the two girls over her 3 longest known and trusted companions.

Reno didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. He knew that if they had to come to the decision of survival they would spare Reno. No one cared about him right now. Elena was too caught up in catching up with her friend. Vincent wouldn't lose Cid and Cid wouldn't lose Vincent. Reno was just an extra in the group; the fly on the side of the windscreen of their lives.

He sighed as he listened to the girls voices a few feet behind him. They were talking about nearly everything you could talk about and then in front of him, Cid and Vincent were as quiet as anything. Not one word was shared between the two. Reno was just thankful he wasn't alone on the island but he wasn't thankful for the fact that he still hasn't found Rude. He just crossed his fingers and prayed that Rude and Tseng were somewhere on the island. Of course, he wouldn't admit that openly.

He looked up at the sky. It was completely clear blue. There wasn't a cloud in sight. The weather on this island was definitely strange. The rain would just come and go as it pleased.

"I don't understand the weather on this island." Reno said to Vincent and Cid who was only inches in front of him not that he had walked closer.

Vincent turned and looked at Reno with his normal neutral expression but there was a hint of surprise in his features. "It is strange." He said and then silence fell over them again.

"Do you think Cloud is alone?" Reno said. He was trying to start a conversation with them, but Vincent sure knew how to keep things brief and to the point. He also had hope in himself that rude could be accompanying Cloud.

This time Cid looked at him, "I've been thinking that too, bud. I have a feeling that he isn't alone."

"Who do you think is with him?" Reno pressed.

"It could be anyone," Cid began, "My money's on Red."

Reno pushed against Vincent and Cid so he was standing in between them. "What about Rude?"

"It's possible." Vincent said as they continued walking.

"Anyone could be with him. He could be alone. Everyone could be with him." Cid said. "We may be the only few that are separated from them."

"How long ago do you think Cloud killed those monsters?" Reno asked.

Vincent looked at him dispassionately. He found Reno to be annoying. Question after question seemed to be spilling out of his mouth. He could understand his curiosity of who is with Cloud or if anyone is with Cloud. He must have missed Rude and Tseng. Vincent could relate – When it was just him and Yuffie he was missing his friends. He turned and looked over his shoulder to see Yuffie and Elena very far away. They were so lost in conversation that they're walking pace had really slowed down.

"I'm guessing a day ago. It had to be after we crossed the bridge." Cid said, "He can't be too far from us."

Cid smiled to himself. Excitement was starting to well up inside himself and he knew there was no possible human way to contain it when he would find Cloud. Things were starting to look good to him. He had found- well Vincent had found them and they had evidence that Cloud was alive and nearby. He looked forward to the moment where his eyes would see those blond spikes. He was gaining confidence and more faith. His mind drifted to the others, Barret, Tifa, Red... he hoped they were somewhere around to. He had given a long solid thought about their survival aswell in the time they spent in their temporary hut. Cid realized he hadn't given Marlene and Denzel the same amount of thought. He could feel his heart weigh more as he doubted they had survived the perilous sea. He noted to himself to be gentle about bringing that subject up with the others.

Vincent suddenly stopped walking and Cid stopped aswell wondering why he had. Reno took a while to realize they had stopped and eventually stopped and looked back. "Vincent?" Cid said.

Vincent turned to look at the girls. They were too far behind now. Cid quickly caught on and realized how slow they were. "Hurry your holes up!" Cid shouted at the two girls.

Yuffie looked ahead to see Cid in the distance swearing at them. It was at this time that they realized they had created a large distance between them and the guys. They had actually done it intentionally. Yuffie had been telling Elena about what happened between her and Vincent. About how he kissed her. Elena couldn't help but think how cute Vincent was being to Yuffie. Yuffie had been telling her about how much closer they had become. Elena could just see the cheerfulness in her eyes. Except, she couldn't help but find the combination of Yuffie and Vincent odd. Elena didn't really know Vincent though, but from what had known about him she saw him as an unbiased man. He always came across as a dark man with many secrets. Even though, Yuffie was a lot more bouncy and loud. She was outgoing and was more of a doer than a thinker. They were like opposites; but they do say, opposites attract. Maybe Vincent and Yuffie would one day prove that saying.

"C'mon." Yuffie said to Elena and motioned her to follow. Yuffie began jogging over to them and Elena followed. The boys had stopped to wait for them.

"Sorry." Elena said as they reached the impatient men. "We didn't realize."

Vincent just gave her a nod in response and turned, his cape moved with him. Elena was fascinated with Vincent's red cape. Every way Vincent moved, the cape would move. It was like it had a life of its own. It moved like liquid.

Cid then opened his mouth, "Keep up will ya."

Reno just looked at Elena. Elena had to look away from him straight away. She could see he wasn't happy with her. Was it because she and Yuffie had fallen behind? That was a stupid reason to get angry. They began walking closer together now whilst Elena battled in her mind, why Reno seemed to so stirred towards Elena.

"Have you guys eaten?" Yuffie said as she felt her stomach growl for food.

"Well, Reno had some dried, powdery fruit, but no, Cid and I haven't." Elena explained for the three of them. "Have you?"

"No." Yuffie said, "I'm starving. If we don't eat something soon I'm going to collapse of starvation."

They were all hungry, tired and home-sick.

"People will begin looking for us tomorrow anyway, since we're meant to arrive home." Reno said.

"Definitely." Elena said, "Corel will start worrying where their Mayor is." She said, referring to Barret.

"Shera will start worrying." Cid said. "And Godo will start wondering where you are, Yuffie."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. As if her father would even notice.

"Rufus will wonder why we haven't returned aswell, Elena." Reno said.

* * *

"This is nice." Cait said as they reached the river Tseng had been talking about for some time.

"Certainly is, Cait." Red said as he walked up to the river. He looked down to see his reflection clearly in the water. The water was clear and you could see small fish swimming down the swell. Red licked his lips hungrily as he saw them swishing through the fluid. He lowered his neck and drank out of the river. The water was so pure and tasted so clean. He wondered how the storms hadn't been ruining the perfection of the water. Red walked away from the river and admired the scenery around him. Tall trees with long branches with leaves dangling off them hung over the river and the grass and dirt surrounding them. The grass here was greener than in the forests and jungles they had journeyed through so far on this island. The blades were short and soft and it was comfortable to relax on the grass. Small smooth stones and pebbles were scattered around the area. Red watched Denzel pick up a small stone and skip it along the river. It skipped three times and then fell into the water. The water level wasn't deep at all. If a grown human such ad Rude or Tseng were to walk in it, it would most likely reach their elbows.

Red watched Rude and Tseng converse in the distance. They were further away from everyone else. He could see that from Rude's body language, he wasn't happy with what Tseng was telling him. He could see that Tseng wasn't happy with Rude either. He turned to check on Denzel again and saw him standing on the edge of the river, skipping pebble after pebble across the water. Cait was standing next to Red and was just looking around and taking in the nice scenery change.

"I don't want to do this anymore, Tseng." Rude said just above a whisper.

Tseng looked at his friend strictly. His pupils were dilated again and his eyes were darker than normal. "Rude. Are you a Turk?"

Rude sighed, "I am a Turk, but I have my limits."

"Since when does a Turk have limits Rude?"

"Since I'm getting paid." Rude pointed out. "Since I'm not going to harm one of our companions. Tseng, our allies on this island are scarce. Going against ourselves will do nothing but bring up trouble. Who knows what's on this island? We have to stick together."

"Rude, it's not us turning against them, their turning against us." Tseng said as he eyed Red who was peacefully lying on the grass next to Cait. Rude followed his gaze to see Red aswell.

"They're not against us."

"They're AVALACNHE. We're Turks. What makes you think that they appreciate us?"

"Tseng, if I remember correctly, you're the one who was excited to become friends with AVALANCHE in the first place." Rude said.

_(Flashback)_

_Reno was peacefully lying on the couch with his arm draped over his eyes. Elena and Rude were unable to tell if he was awake or not. Elena sat on the couch opposite Reno with a book in her hand. Rude just stood facing the wall staring at a poster about commitment and motivation. No words were shared between the three Turks and no noise was heard until the double doors flew open. Reno jumped on the couch from the unexpected noise and Elena was startled aswell and nearly dropped her book. Rude however seemed to ignore the sudden outburst from the doors. Tseng walked through the doors with a piece of paper in his hand._

"_Oh good, you're here." Tseng said as he looked around at them._

"_You called us here?" Reno said as he went back to lying comfortably on the couch. A quick look of disgust lit up Tseng's features and then disappeared. _

"_Yes. We've been invited to go to a small celebration." Tseng said._

"_Oooh, sounds good." Elena said as she shut her book, "Who invited us?"_

"_AVALANCHE." _

_Reno sat up, Elena's eyes widened and Rude finally turned around from looking at the poster. _

"_That's odd." Rude said._

"_It's nice." Elena said with a smile. It would be good to see Tifa and Yuffie. The three of them really hit it off last time they gathered together for Yuffie's birthday – who insisted the Turks had to come._

"_For you." Reno said. "I thought they would never want to hear from us again after what happened at Yuffie's party." Reno said as he remembered his last incident with AVALANCHE that involved a broken ice sculpture, a cracked window, a stain on Tifa's dress, an unconscious Red and an angry Yuffie. Things didn't go as planned for Reno that night._

"_I think it should be nice." Tseng said, "It will give us the chance to bond more and apologize for Reno's actions."_

"_My actions?" Reno said, "You're the one who got ice-cream all over the wall!"_

"That was before we were stranded on an island with them and were fighting for survival." Tseng said.

"I won't do it Tseng. You're on your own." Rude said and turned on his heel and walked off.

Red watched the stressed Rude walk away from the unpleased Tseng. "Is everything okay, Rude?" Red said.

"Tseng's in an entirely different universe." The Turk said as he walked passed into the jungle for some alone time.

Red watched his figure disappear into the jungle and then turned to see Denzel gone from the spot he stood five minutes ago. He looked around and saw him nowhere. He couldn't see Tseng either.

"Cait."

"Hmmm?"

"Where are Denzel and Tseng?"

"Dunno, Red?" He replied.

* * *

Denzel walked along the river side trying to balance on the rocks that framed the water. A few times he nearly slipped and fell in but his balance was too good for that. He stopped and sat down on the edge looking down at his reflection. He moved his hand forward and touched the water and watched the ripples appear and disappear. The river was so clean and pure. He took a drink out of it and then looked back at his reflection. He could see the small mark on his forehead from when he had geostigma. A small smile formed from his lips as he thought back to that heroic day that Cloud defeated Sephiroth and cured Denzel of the stig. Then his heart felt grave again as he missed his figurative father. He knew Cloud would find him though. Denzel continued to stare at his reflection in the moving water. He touched it again and watched the ripples distort the reflections. The reflection came back into clear view again and this time Denzel could see someone standing behind him. He turned his head and saw Tseng standing there with a gentle smile.

"Hello Tseng." Denzel said kindly.

Tseng stepped forward so he was next to the young boy who was crouching on the edge of the river. "Hello Denzel." He said.

Denzel smiled and turned to look back into the water. Then he felt a grip on the back of his neck push him into the water. Denzel felt the cold wetness soak him as he tried to struggle out of the grip. He didn't know what was happening. It was too quick. He felt another hand come and strengthen the hold and pull him further under the water. He struggled more and more. He tried screaming and shouting but his voice was unheard under the water. He tried to kick and scratch but he was completely vulnerable. He couldn't hold his breath any longer and the tight grip around his throat was not helping. He felt his head start to get lightheaded. His eyes unfocused and darkness crept around him.

Darkness that will forever remain.

* * *

**Sorry! I hope everyone knows that I didn't want to do that but in order for the story + plot to grow I needed to do it. I wonder how Red will react to this? And even worse, Cloud & Tifa! If they find out that is.**

**Thank you for reading, and please Review and I may update quicker! Your reviews are amazing and they really do inspire me to write more!**

**Fallen Angel 24 x**


	15. A Hot Scale

**A big thank you to everyone who reviewed that last chapter; Volixia669, XXSilverXTwilightXX, Wingedswordyunagi, ChaosAngel4us, cloudlover2989, XxVioletxX, sapphire wind, Angle0wing0writer, Yoshirama and Yuffentine Lover! You're reviews mean a lot to me :)**

**This chapter is the longest chapter in the whole story so I hope that it turns out all right and to your liking. I know that Denzel's death was a huge shock to everyone and I'm really sorry, but don't lose hope! I wrote this one straight away and updated it ASAP because I was so excited for you guys! In other words - I'm sorry for my rushed editing haha.**

**Enjoy; A Hot Scale!**

* * *

A Hot Scale

Red walked down the river to see Tseng standing on the side of it staring at the water. "Tseng." He called.

The Turk turned to look at him. From the distance, Red couldn't notice his dark eyes. "Have you seen Denzel?"

Tseng looked unsuspectingly around and shook his head, "No, not for a while."

_The river swept him away._

Red looked at him curiously. "Are you sure?"

_He'll rot in the water._

"Positive." Tseng said and then turned and walked back to where Cait Sith was.

Red watched him pass him and could feel the guilty presence around him. He had also noticed his eyes. They were dark. Something weird was happening to that man. He looked carefully around the area to spot any tracks of Denzel's. His eyes rested on 3 small orange berries. The ones that Denzel was carrying with him. He walked closer to it and examined the area around them. He could see from the markings of the dirt that someone sat there. He could also so a small broken slope leading into the water. His mind put things together and added everything up.

His eyes widened and he could feel his heart leap into his throat. He stood there for a long time.

Staring at the water.

* * *

"I think something bit me." Cloud said as he approached Tifa.

Tifa looked at him and giggled lightly when she saw all the scratch marks on his arms. He had mosquito bites all over his arms.

"I have some cream in my pocket for that." She said.

"Oh thank god." He said. "Where did you get that?"

"Denzel got bitten by a mosquito on the cruise boat so I had some in pocket." Tifa said as she unscrewed the cap. She put some on her palm and spread it all over Cloud's arms. Cloud felt a bit like a baby, but he wasn't going to complain. He loved Tifa's touch and savoured this moment of her massaging the antiseptic cream onto him.

"There." She said as she wiped her hands on her shirt to get the cream off her hands.

"Wait." Cloud said and smirked. "I think I got bitten on the back aswell."

Tifa blushed as Cloud turned around and slid his shirt off to reveal his bare back to her. Tifa rubbed the cream all over his back but she couldn't see any bites. 'That cheeky, Strife,' she thought in her head. She was almost finished when Barret and Marlene walked over to them.

"What the hell are you two up to?" Barret said.

Cloud looked at him and chuckled and Tifa blushed even more. "Nothing." The both said in unison and Tifa turned the cap back on and Cloud pulled his shirt back on.

"What time is it?" Tifa said.

Barret glanced down at his watch and then opened his mouth, "Nearly 1."

"Are you ready to go, Marlene?" Cloud said to her. This was about their 5th break stop since this morning. Marlene was getting really tired and her legs were hurting. She was overwhelmed with fatigue and not a proper meal or sleep in days. No one complained about her. They all understood. Cloud, Tifa and Barret were used to long journeys like this but usually they were prepared with more resources. Marlene however was only a young little girl. A few more days like this and she'll begin to fall ill of the lack of needs a kid like her needs. Tifa was also asking for the breaks, her wound was still affecting her and walking was just making it worse.

Barret had been carrying Marlene but he was tired too. They all were.

Exhaustion was getting the better of them.

* * *

"Hey," Reno said as he looked into the distance, "Over there, is that?"

Cid and Vincent looked over to where he was looking. And far, far, far into the distance and through the natural mist on the island they could make out the outline of someone.

"I don't know who it is, but that is a humanoid shape." Vincent said.

"Well who cares, it's a human." Cid said happily.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Yuffie said and then started running. The others quickly caught on and began running behind her. As they ran closer they realized there were more than one.

"There's more." Reno said.

"I see 3." Elena said happily.

"I see 4." Cid shouted gleefully.

Since Yuffie was a bit ahead because she began running first she was the first one to notice who it was. "It's Barret!" She called. "Barret!" She shouted and waved her arm in the air.

They were still a good 400m away so he didn't hear her.

"Barret!" Cid shouted as he saw him.

* * *

"You hear that?" Cloud said as he heard a muffled voice.

They all fell silent and listened.

"Brett." A very vague voice called in the distance.

"Brett? Who the hell-" Barret started but Cloud put his hand over his mouth.

"Shhh."

"Barret." They heard. Cloud removed his hand from Barret's mouth and walked closer to the edge of the cliff. It sounded like it was coming from there. Tifa joined him while Barret and Marlene stayed further back. They listened more and then saw someone running into their view on the other cliff.

Tifa broke into a wide grin and her eyes lit up. "Yuffie!" She screamed in delight when she saw her and then Cid behind her. Vincent was there and she saw Elena and Reno too.

"Oh my gawd!" Yuffie shouted on the other cliff. "You're alive!"

"Oh come on," They heard Reno exclaim, "No Turks?"

Barret and Marlene joined Cloud and Tifa.

"Barret ya big bastard!" Cid shouted, "You're alive!"

"I sure am, Cid!" Barret's booming voice shouted.

"Vincent!" Cloud said and Vincent gave him a nod as he smiled at him.

"Good god!" Cid exclaimed, "We finally found ya!"

Tifa had tears of happiness in her eyes as she looked at the people in front of her. Cloud put a hard hand on her shoulder and shook her happily. "Their alive." He said to her.

Tifa grinned happily at him. It was grin that Cloud had been missing for the past 5 days.

After the happiness and joy of finding eachother had washed off they all realized there was still a problem.

"So…" Cid said. "What do we do about the 50 feet gap between us?"

"Well, there used to be a bridge down there," Tifa pointed, "But it's-"

"Broken?" Elena finished for her.

Tifa smiled.

"Yeah, we kinda… broke it." Cid said as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Good lord, man." Barret said loudly, "How'd ya manage to do that?"

"Well were attacked by-"

"Let's share stories later." Cloud shouted. "Vincent,"

"Yes, Cloud." Vincent said. Cloud didn't want to admit it, but he had missed that monotonous and impartial voice of Vincent's.

"Did you come across any bridges or ways across?"

"Not one way." Vincent said.

Cloud sighed, "I remember, a few hours back, a natural bridge was towards the bottom of the cliff. We could climb down the cliff and get across that way."

"What?" Tifa said, "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"We have Marlene and the climb would have been too hard for her and for Barret if he carried her." Cloud said.

"I can't hear you." Cid shouted from the other side. They had all been raising their voices to communicate.

"Sorry," Cloud called.

"If we choose that route, you guys will have to be the ones to cross. We have Marlene and right now she's not in the best shape for climbing. Even if she was healthy it'd be too hard."

Vincent and Cid nodded in understanding.

"Plus we have Teef." Barret added.

Tifa gave him a glare that said _shut-up-Barret._

"What are you talking about Barret? Tifa can climb." Yuffie shouted across the gap.

"She's injured." Cloud added.

Tifa glared at him with the same look she had given Barret.

"She can only walk," Cloud began, "Climbing would be too dangerous for-" He was stopped from a punch in the stomach. Barret chuckled and Marlene giggled while the others on the other side laughed aswell.

It was Cloud's turn to glare at her.

"In other words," Tifa yelled across the cliffs, "It would be better if you guys just came over here."

"Alright." Yuffie yelled, "Teef, I have restore materia with me aswell. So we'll fix you up when I get over there!"

Tifa smiled, "Thanks Yuffie!"

"Cloud, how far down is this natural bridge?" Reno shouted.

"About 2 hours back." Cloud estimated.

They all turned and began walking back; Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Marlene on one side and Reno, Elena, Yuffie, Vincent and Cid on the other.

* * *

"This is good." Barret said with a smile, "We've found 5 other companions. I knew we weren't the only ones on this god-forsaken island."

"Yeah, it's great." Tifa said but her voice lacked the enthusiasm.

"What's wrong, Teef? We found Yuffie and Elena?" Barret said.

She looked up and weakly smiled at Barret, "Denzel isn't with them."

Then Barret realized. His heart started to crack at the words. He didn't want to say it out-loud but he had actually forgotten about the young lad. He understood how Tifa must have felt; he had felt the same when he lost Marlene at first.

"He's probably somewhere else on the island." Barret said reassuringly.

"What if this is it?" Tifa suddenly said. "What if we're the only survivors? A majority of us are together again. Is this everyone alive? I mean, what if Denzel, Red, Cait Sith, Tseng and Rude are dead. What if they drowned 5 days ago?" She kept her voice low so only Barret could hear. Cloud was carrying Marlene and he was a few feet ahead.

"Teef, where have you gone?" Barret said, "Have some hope, yeah? You're the positive one, if you go downhill, we're all goin' down."

She smiled weakly at her old friend, "I'm trying but, I can't last much longer."

Barret just swung his hand around her shoulders and walked with her closely by his side.

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Reno mumbled to himself. Elena looked at him peculiarly. Vincent, Cid and Yuffie were ahead of them while the two Turks trailed at the back.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

"No Turks." Reno simply said with a sigh. Elena quickly understood. She too had been disappointed when she didn't see Rude or Tseng with them. She cared more for her fellow Turks than she did for the AVALANCHE crew. Yuffie and Tifa were exceptions.

"They gotta be around somewhere." Elena said, "Once we join with them, we'll be looking for Tseng and the others."

"I'm sick of this. Cid's found pretty much everyone he cares about. I've found one. You." He said.

Elena looked at him with a sparkle. She had to acknowledge, he actually admitting he cared about her made her heart feel lighter than usual. "Atleast our list of companions is growing."

"If you want to call them companions." Reno said darkly and lowly into her ear.

"Reno," She sighed and he rolled his eyes.

"I know I know, appreciate what we got." He said.

* * *

The sight ahead of Remotay was not good news to him. 4 native birds were lying dead, slaughtered and a few headless in front of him. A Renpau poked at one with a stick. "Stop that you ungrateful idiot. Don't you realise that the human's did this to them?" Remotay shouted at one.

"Enough continue following the path." He ordered and they started tracking the scent once again. Remotay gave the dead bird's one last look of disgust and then followed the trackers. They walked for almost an hour when they reached one of their creeks. The Renpau's scattered around the area tracking everywhere the humans went. They must have spent some time here.

Remotay looked over the creek to see what fascinated the humans about the area. He noticed something bobbing in the river bed not far from where he stood. He pushed pass a Renpau and walked over the rocks to the river bed to be very surprised.

His eyes widened and a smiled stretched across his face. Another human lay in the water. It appeared to be a male and it was smaller than the other humans the Renpau had described. It was actually the same size as the Renpau.

"Arohd," Remotay called. A Renpau approached, "Have this human tied up and carried. I think he may be useful." The Renpau nodded and shouted orders at the others in their native tongue.

Remotay felt a flourish of pride and power fill his body. One of the human's had already come to him. What made him confused was the fact it was alone and appeared unconscious. Maybe it was dead? He wasn't sure; he hadn't checked the health of the human. But it was unmoving so it would cause no trouble for them for now. And if the human did cause trouble, he had his trusted Lexigen to put show him who's boss.

Remotay followed the trackers further away from the creek. He watched the two Renpau carry the lifeless human. He could already imagine himself bribing them with their new token. Yes. Things were looking _very_ good for Remotay.

* * *

They walked for almost 2 hours and finally found the natural bridge Cloud was talking about. Yuffie got down on her hands and knees and peered down the cliff. She gasped at the height and how far down the bridge was aswell. It was atleast 500 or 600 feet down. It would take them around 40 minutes or so to get down. And then double the time because they would have to climb back up. Yuffie examined the cliff. It was very steep, it did provide a few hand holds but not enough for Yuffie's liking. There were some small platforms to rest on and bits and pieces to hang off of.

Yuffie looked back at Cid who had a look of horror as he stared down. Vincent seemed fair-minded and without prejudice, as always and Reno and Elena looked very reluctant.

"What do you think?" Yuffie said.

Cid looked at her, "I think I'll die."

Yuffie smiled slightly and then looked back down. She wasn't too keen to climb down there either. She looked up at the others on the other side. Barret and Marlene were resting while Cloud stood on the edge, waiting for them and Tifa sat on the ground not far from him.

"I don't know." Elena said quietly and more to herself. "I've never been one for climbing."

"Neither," Cid said, "Tifa and Cloud are more suited for this."

"Tifa is injured and Cloud has no point in coming over here." Vincent started as he stepped forward to the edge of the cliff. "Yuffie and I have been through half of this half of the island. It's dead, there's nothing here. We don't really have a choice." Vincent explained.

"You go first." Reno said to Vincent.

"Very well." Vincent said, leaving everyone who knew full well that if he did fall he would just transform into Chaos and fly to the other side.

Vincent slid his body down the edge and put his feet on a few bits of the rough rock. He slowly inched his way down and then was climbing evenly. He made it look easy to everyone else, a lot easier than it was. He climbed down atleast 3 metres and then looked up at Yuffie who was on her hands and knees again, looking down the cliff. "Yuffie," He said simply and Yuffie gave him a determined and strong-minded nod. She looked up at the others who still didn't look so keen and then she swung her body around and put her feet on some of the rock. She looked down and saw another small part of granite that stuck out so she slowly climbed her way down to it and started slowly and cautiously climbing her way down.

Cid looked down at Yuffie and Vincent who were now atleast 10 feet down. Yuffie had stopped though at a tricky spot. Her legs weren't long enough to reach the next outcropping piece of rock. There was no other option. She was honestly stuck. She tried to extend her leg as far as it would to reach the rock but it was too far off. "Uh," She said her voice shaky, "Vincent." She looked down slightly to see Vincent climbing his way down. "Vincent." She repeated her voice not attempting to hide the fear she was in. She looked up to see Cid peering down the cliff.

"Everything okay, Yuffie?" Cid said as a cigarette sat between his lips.

"I can't reach the next footing." She said.

Vincent looked up to see Yuffie had stopped and could see her conversing with Cid. He couldn't hear them. It was like he was getting deafer and deafer as he climbed down. The air down there was thick and hard to breathe in. It was also humid and the suns shone down on them making his body sweat and feel sticky. He hadn't been in such humidity in ages. He carefully let go of a handhold to wipe his forehead and then looked up again to see Yuffie still in the same position.

"Yuffie?" He said wondering why she was frozen in place.

Yuffie looked down at him and said something but he couldn't hear her properly.

"What?" He said.

He could see her lips moving but he couldn't hear anything.

"I can't hear you. It's hard to hear down here." Vincent said. He was a lot further down than Yuffie and the atmosphere was making him drowsy and tired. "I don't know what you're saying." He said as Yuffie continued moving her mouth. Vincent just shook his head and went back to climbing. He extended his leg for the next footing and then the next one. The climbing wasn't the hard bit for him, it was the heat. It felt like he was climbing down a volcano.

Yuffie cursed at Vincent for ignoring her. Just as Vincent was, Yuffie was feeling the heat. It was getting hotter and hotter. There was no breeze at all down there and she could already feel the close air that she was about to go in. She looked down at the footing again and extended her leg, trying to reach it but couldn't she kept trying. She bit her bottom lip as she concentrated and tried to inch herself to it. She was inches off.

Inches off before she slipped.

Her left hand lost its tight grip on the rock and caused her entire left side to lose balance and lose all its footing and hold on the cliff side. She screamed as she felt her left knee scrape against the rock as she started to slide. Luckily, she caught another supportive piece of rock and didn't fall. She swung her left hand up to strengthen the grip and started to climb again. She looked up to see she had only slipped slightly and it turned out as a favour for Yuffie since now she could reach the foothold she couldn't before.

She climbed down another 2 feet. Vincent was a whole human's length down from her and Yuffie was far enough from the edge for someone else to start climbing down. "Elena, come on." Yuffie said.

Elena stepped to the edge of the cliff and came into Yuffie's view. Yuffie gave her a reassuring smile and a nod and went back to climbing. Elena inhaled as she prepared herself to start climbing down. She was terrified of heights and was not the person for this type of recreational activity. She had seen Yuffie slip and her heart leaped at that second but Yuffie recovered quickly. In an event like that Elena knew she would just lose it and fall.

Elena sat down on the edge and then slowly turned herself around. She felt the first foothold that Yuffie and Vincent had used. She was still half on the cliff edge and she looked up at Reno who was looking down at her. Reno knew Elena hated heights and especially things like this.

He crouched in front of her and gave her a guaranteed smile. "Elena, don't look down. Just look at the rocks to climb onto." Elena nodded fervently and then worked her way down to the next footing.

Reno looked down to see Vincent half way there and Yuffie a few feet above him. Vincent coughed as the air started to really get to him. His vision was really hazy now and he could barely focus right. There was something in the air, something poisonous that was playing with their minds. He was having trouble breathing and could only take short breaths. It was even hotter where he was compared to where Yuffie was. He started to worry for Yuffie. He saw her slip before and he nearly let go of the rock himself from the shock. He was scared for her, especially now because he was barely getting through this. He could only imagine how Yuffie would cope. "Weird freaking island." He muttered to himself and then went back to climbing.

Yuffie looked down to see Vincent over the halfway mark. She was nearly halfway aswell but her arms were aching from all the climbing. She was hardly holding on. She had gotten a lot hotter to and was sweating more than she had in ages. Her hair was sticking to her forehead.

Elena had reached the spot Yuffie had struggled at and could see the rock that Yuffie couldn't reach. She stretched her leg for the outcropping and only just reached it. With a collective sigh of relief she went for the next handhold.

Reno had begun climbing himself and was only inches above Elena. In fact, he was waiting for Elena to hurry up. He didn't want to pressure or push her but the heat was getting to him and making him impatient. Reno was a natural climber, and had done many rock climbing activities therefore he wasn't really struggling. It was part of his training to be good at activities like this. However he was very wary with the thought of one small slip could end his life.

Vincent was only metres from the natural bridge now and he felt like dropping himself and letting him drop onto the bridge below, but he couldn't do that. It was too risky; the bridge was only narrow and was about 40 cm wide. His head was dizzy now and he actually felt nauseous from the heat.

* * *

Cloud stood tall at the other side watching each of them crawl their way down. Vincent had started off well but had started slowing down. He had even stopped a few times. Yuffie was getting slower and slower too. He could see her now, reaching the halfway mark and she looked like she was just clinging for her life. Her legs were dangling tiredly off her body everytime she reached for the next extension of rock. He wondered what was making them both so slow. He had climbed with them on various adventures and had never seen them like this. Elena was taking age's aswell, but he figured she was just cautious.

"Is it just me, or are they moving in slow mo?" Tifa said as she watched them herself from her seated spot near Cloud.

"Vincent and Yuffie have certainly slowed down." Cloud said with a frown.

"It must be hot down there," Tifa said. "With no breeze."

"That must be why they're so slow." Cloud said.

He watched Cid swing himself over the edge and start climbing. Reno was a few feet below him and Elena was right below Reno. Vincent was about to reach the bridge and Yuffie had just passed the halfway mark but had stopped. She had been in the same position for almost 2 minutes.

* * *

It was agony. Yuffie could hardly breathe in the air anymore. It was like a poisonous fume. She felt like throwing up and just falling. Of course she fought the temptation. Her arms were shaky now and her legs felt like jelly.

"Oh gawd," She muttered to herself as she looked down to see she still had a long way to go. She could see Vincent nearly there. How was that man doing it? Yuffie pushed her will and forced her way down even more but her body couldn't take much longer. She could already feel the rock below her feet crumbling as she shook in fear and anguish. This was pure torture.

Elena had started to speed up now that she had gotten the hang of it. It was really just the beginning that was the hard part.

She could feel the sweat on her and her clothes were stuck on her from the sweat. She was really thirsty and needed a drink. The air down there was like sucking the life out of her. Elena had noticed that the temperature was rising and rising as they climbed down further.

Vincent felt his feet touch the bridge and he let go of the rock he had been clinging to.

"Atta boy Vincent!" He heard Barret's bellowing voice shout.

His body was overwhelmed with fatigue and so he just collapsed on the bridge. His right arm dangled off the edge of the narrow bridge. He was tired and just wanted to rest first. He had decided to wait for Yuffie before going any further. He needed her positive motivation to keep him going. The air was really warm down there and it was boiling hot. He was feeling muggy and sick.

Reno looked down at Elena. She was nearing the halfway point. Everytime she moved, he moved. He looked up from the large outcropping of rock he was hanging onto to see Cid a few feet above him. Reno looked back down to see Elena had moved from her previous position so he moved down onto the foothold she was on before. Things were going slow for him, but he couldn't complain about that. What he could complain on, however, was the heat that was intensifying every step down he took.

They climbed for a while longer until Elena finally reached the halfway mark. By now she couldn't see straight, she was starting to worry. As if she wasn't worried enough about the climbing. Elena had started taking shorter breaths because the air was so thick and suffocating that she couldn't breathe properly. She looked down and her vision was obscure and unclear. She could slightly make out the figure of Vincent lying on the bridge. 'Lucky bastard,' she thought to herself. Yuffie was nearly there too. She figured Vincent and Yuffie had gone through the same torture because of Yuffie's very slow movements and Vincent just lying down in exhaustion.

Cid shuffled in his current spot as he felt incredibly uncomfortable from the sweat that was sticking everything humanly possible to his body. He saw Yuffie at the bottom jump onto the bridge below her.

"Oh finally," Yuffie said just above a whisper as her feet finally felt something below them. She stumbled passed Vincent's worn out form on the bridge and then sat down, panting from the exertion of the climb. "I… feel… sick," She said between breaths.

Vincent slowly pushed himself of the bridge and sat up, facing her. "This island will have the death of me." He said his voice rugged and raspy from the lack of water.

Yuffie cleared her dry throat. "We still need to climb back up." She said sadly.

Vincent nodded as he stared at the top of the opposite cliff. He could see Cloud standing up there if he strained his eyes enough.

"That was horrible." Yuffie said distressed as she placed a hand on her forehead. "I thought I was going to faint."

"Another few more minutes and I would have." Vincent admitted.

Yuffie looked back up to Elena past halfway and Reno just above the halfway mark. Cid still had a while to go. "If we wait for the others we'll be here for another 30 minutes."

"I think we should go in another 10 minutes." He said. "Once you feel stronger we'll go."

Yuffie smiled at him, she liked the feeling knowing that Vincent actually cared about her. She loved the feeling that he was willing to wait for her and then climb with her.

She wiped her forehead free of sweat, "I'm so hot." She said.

Vincent raised a brow.

He looked past her at the opposite cliff wall they would have to climb. "The way up looks easier."

"It does and instead of it getting worse and worse, it'll get better and better." She said with a smile.

Vincent lightly smiled. That was the positive motivation he needed to hear.

"Let's go," Yuffie said, "I can't take this heat anymore. It's making me sick. I feel disgusting in it." She said. Vincent nodded and stood up, he held out a hand to help Yuffie up and she took it gladly. He pulled her up and off the bridge in one quick movement.

Meanwhile, a curious Cloud stand's overwatching them. Never had he seen Vincent take care for Yuffie like he had just then.

Yuffie walked down the bridge with Vincent right behind her. Pieces of the narrow bridge were crumbling at the sides as they took step after step along the thin rock. Normally Yuffie would feel a bit cautious but the security of Vincent behind her made her feel more confident. Knowing that he could shape shift into Chaos at desperate times, like if the bridge fell apart for example. He wouldn't just fly off and leave her there, would he?

The feeling of satisfaction and relief as Elena's feet landed on the ground below her. She stumbled forward a little and then let her body fall onto the bridge. It was still stuffy and hot but now that she wasn't climbing anymore it wasn't as bad. Her arms and legs were all-in and sleepy. Her ears heard Reno reach the ground and his voice let out a sigh of happiness.

"Shit," He said under his breath as he slowly sat himself down on the bridge.

Elena stayed still as she lay on the bridge. "Elena?" She heard him say, his voice was really scratchy from the exhaustion and subtle dehydration. "Elena?" Reno repeated.

She just moaned in response. He quickly got the message. She must have been tired, he was too. He was feeling more sick than tired though. The heat was really affecting his mind and his vision. He could feel his throat feeling tight and clogged and he couldn't swallow the feeling away. His stomach began to churn backward and he knew what was happening as he felt it contract and push upward. He hung his head quickly over the side of the very narrow bridge and threw up.

Elena was taken by surprise and so when she heard the gagging sound of Reno, her eyes immediately darted over to him. With a sudden jab of adrenaline from the shock she crawled over to him in a rush. He was on his knees and his head hung over the side. "Reno," She said softly as he puked. She rubbed his back with her hand to comfort him.

On the cliff, Cloud and Tifa were rather disgusted by the sudden act of sickness by Reno. "Must be pretty bad," Tifa said.

"Everyone is so beaten and slow." Cloud observed. He looked at Cid who was close to reaching the bridge; his actions were measured and sluggish. Cloud peered down the cliff edge he stood on and saw Vincent climbing up. He was a few feet off the bridge. Yuffie stood on the bridge waiting for enough room for her to begin climbing.

"Are you okay?" Elena said as Reno finished vomiting. Reno didn't want to look at her. He felt embarrassed, he had just been violently sick in front of her.

"I'll be fine," He said, his voice gruff. "Let's wait for Cid."

Elena bobbed her head in approval.

Minutes passed and Cid finally plopped onto the bridge.

"That was fun," He said panting heavily, "I can't wait to climb back up."

* * *

Cloud extended his hand forward and Vincent took it. He heaved the man up onto the solid ground. Cloud hadn't expected Vincent to be so light so in result of his added aid they stumbled back and fell onto the ground.

"Clutz." Barret said as he watched them scramble to get off one another. Cloud was the first to stand and he straightened out his clothes and then Vincent stood.

"It's g-good to see you… up close." Cloud stuttered from embarrassment as he could see Tifa on the corner of his eye giggling at him and Vincent.

"Likewise." Vincent said as he dusted sand off of his shoulder.

"Tifa, Barret." Vincent said as he gave them a nod in greeting.

"How ya doing, Vamp?" Barret joked. He began to laugh at his own joke, "Haha, Vamp. I still got it." He said to himself as he turned to tend to Marlene who was calling for him.

"It's good to see you Vincent." Tifa said, "You look unwell. Have you been hurt?" She said as she noticed the sweat on him.

"The climb here was certainly perilous. The weather is humid and hot the further down the gap and the air is thick." Vincent explained monotonously.

"I realised the fatigue everyone was suffering." Cloud added.

"I was very uncomfortable." He said.

Cloud just nodded and Tifa went to the edge as she saw Yuffie coming up. "Yuffie!"

"Oh gawd, Teef, you don't know how good it is to hear your voice after this climb." She said as she heaved herself up.

Tifa laughed lightly, "Vincent told us about the temperature down there."

"I haven't been so hot in years!" Yuffie exclaimed.

Vincent and Cloud both raised a brow.

"Well, it's cooler up here." Tifa said.

Yuffie just made a noise in agreement and lay down on the grass not far from the edge.

Vincent also sat down, he was still very tired from climbing but the cool air was helping.

Cloud walked to the edge and peered down to see Reno half way there. Elena was below him and Cid had just begun climbing. He sighed, he didn't want to say it out loud but he was loosing his patience.

"I can't wait to share stories, Teef!" Yuffie yelled happily from where she lay on the ground. "Vincent and I have been through so much!"

"We've been through a lot too." Tifa said.

For some reason, that last sentence reminded Cloud of something very important.

"Oh yeah, Yuffie." Cloud said, "Can we use your restore materia on Teef."

"Cloud," Tifa said warningly, "Their exhausted. You couldn't be a little more patient?"

Cloud just rolled his eyes. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I understand Cloud's protectiveness over you Tifa," Yuffie winked at Tifa and Tifa just reddened. Yuffie dug into her pouch of materia and pulled out a green one and gave it to Tifa.

"Thank you, Yuffie." She said as she took it from her hand and used it on herself.

Barret and Marlene soon joined them afterwards. "Yuffie and Vincent!" She said happily.

Vincent threw her a small nod and a smile while Yuffie gave her a big hug. "Hey, squirt!" Yuffie shouted into Marlene's hair. "How ya doing?"

"Good," She said with a grin and then Yuffie let go of her and she ran back to Barret.

Yuffie then whispered into Tifa's ear, "She survived?"

"Barret." She whispered back.

"Oh…" Yuffie said gradually in understanding.

Minutes passed of small chit chat until Reno's hand appeared from the edge, gripping it. Cloud quickly ran to the ledge and offered him a hand for assistance. Reno looked up and smiled graciously at him and took the hand. He pulled him up and this time, didn't lose his balance.

"You okay?" Cloud asked, "I saw you vomiting before."

"Ew." Yuffie said in the background.

"I'm fine, the heat just got to me." He said.

"Tell me about it." Yuffie said from where she laid.

Reno then turned to help Elena who was closely behind him up. Cloud then moved out of the way to give them room. Elena came up and was mighty tired but she still took the effort and ran to hug Tifa happily. Meanwhile, Reno collapsed on the floor.

"Is he okay?" Cloud said again at the unconscious form of Reno.

"He doesn't take heat too well." Elena explained.

Cid soon heaved him over the edge. "Jesus Christ Cloud! Are you trying to kill me?"

Cloud just chuckled at his friend and smiled as he felt very accomplished.

Now he was travelling with Tifa, Barret, Marlene, Vincent, Yuffie, Reno, Elena and Cid.

What lies for them in the future? Only time will tell.

* * *

**Yay! They're together again! I know I only briefly touched on Red and Tseng in this chapter. Sorry about that, I'll try include them more in the next one but this chapter was mainly revolving around the reunion between the two groups. I wonder these guys will get through together now? The more the merrier!**

**Thank you for reading and please review!**

**The Fallen Angel24**


	16. Around The Camp Fire

**Thank you to Knock-Out92, Volixia669, XXSilverXTwilightXX, Wingedswordyunagi, ChaosAngel4us, cloudlover2989 and Yuffentine Lover. **

**This chapter is more of a reflection from whats happened so far. I'd like to say it's the end of something and start of something new. Read and enjoy and don't forget to leave a quick review!**

**Enjoy; Around the Camp Fire**

* * *

Around the Camp Fire

Dusk was approached quickly and half of their companions were exhausted from the climb so they decided to rest for the night close to the edge of the cliff. Vincent and Cid worked together to start a fire and they were soon all sitting in a circle around it.

"Is now the time to share stories?" Yuffie asked.

"Yep, you go first." Tifa said.

Yuffie smiled and looked at Vincent and then back at the fire. "Well, if it weren't for Vincent I don't think I would be sitting here right now. He saved me in the ocean and brought me to shore."

"Vincent, you hero." Barret teased as Vincent looked and felt awkward.

Yuffie laughed a little and then continued, "Well we woke up on the beach and then began searching the beaches around the island for a bit and then eventually lead ourselves to this mountain. We went over the mountain and found this dead forest place. It was ghostly and felt haunted by spirits or something. We travelled through there and found an empty village."

"-Or what you thought was empty." Cid butted in.

"What?" Cloud said in confusion.

"We'll get to that." Yuffie said. "Anyway, Vincent found tracks in the mud of what looked like footprints so we went back into the dead forest and after another long journey through there we heard screaming and screeching. We ran and followed the noise and found this big black, scaly, giant bird thing attacking Cid, Reno and Elena. Vincent shape shifted into Chaos and took the monster out." Yuffie explained.

"And that's how we Cid, Elena and Reno." Vincent said.

"So you found eachother not long ago?" Tifa asked.

"Yep, only a day ago." Yuffie said.

"Then we were attacked by what looked like a Demon in our sleep. It clawed me good in the gut but the others quickly fought it off and used my materia on me." Yuffie said. "Then we were mindlessly searching for the others and eventually found you guys."

"What a story." Barret said at the end.

"It was a lot more exciting than how she explained it." Vincent added.

Reno chuckled to himself, "They weren't attacked by anything until they joined us."

"Indeed." Vincent said, "We had seen no sign of fauna on the island until we found them."

"Okay, Cloud, you're turn." Yuffie said, "I wanna know how Teef got injured!"

Cloud looked a little nervous at first. Everyone's eyes were on him and were probably expecting an exciting story. "Well…" He said, "Barret woke up on the beach and quickly found Teef and I. We started circling around the island on the beaches and found Marlene in these rocks. After that we came across a mountain but it wasn't the best option for us-"

"Wait," Yuffie interrupted, "Maybe it was the same mountain Vincent and I climbed!"

"It's possible." Cloud said.

"Indeed." Vincent said as he agreed.

"Back to the story." Reno demanded.

"Oh, uh yeah…" Cloud said and scratched his head, "Anyway so we went into the jungle and jeez it was hard to get through. The vegetation was so thick."

"That happened to us." Cid said.

"Shhh." Reno said to him. Eager to hear Cloud continue.

"So while in the jungle, I got attacked by a plant-"

"A plant?" Elena said curiously.

"It was carnivorous and was hard to kill." Tifa answered.

"Brilliant, there are killer plants on the island." Elena said sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Reno said. Obviously feeling irritated that everyone kept interrupting Cloud's story.

Cloud looked at Reno oddly and then continued, "Marlene was the one with the bright idea to go for the base of the plant to kill it and in the end none of us were hurt. The next day we were attacked by some human monkey things. There were quite a few actually and were our first sign of fauna on the island. They attacked with spears." He said.

Vincent then took his turn to speak, "They used weapons?" He said with an intrigued tone.

Cloud nodded and Vincent had a thoughtful look on his face. "We struggled to continue the next day, there was this brutal storm but we were unaffected by it because we were in the thick jungle."

"The treetops were like a roof." Barret added.

"And then after that we found an already cut pathway in the jungle. I'm guessing one of you had cut through? We found two dead giant wasps on the trail." Cloud said and looked around at everyone.

"That would have been Elena and I." Cid said, "Bloody bastards chased us."

"That's also how I found them," Reno said. "I came across an already cut path and followed it and found Elena and Cid in there."

Cloud nodded, "We followed that and a few hours later were attacked by similar giant wasps that you guys had killed. There were around 10 of them. That's how…" He paused and looked at Tifa sadly who was looking at her hands in her lap, "That's how Tifa got injured. One of the wasps stabbed her with its stinger."

Everyone's heads turned to Tifa and had a sympathetic look on their face. "She got really sick," Barret said, "And our only choice at the time was for us to split up. Marlene and I went to find water for her while Cloud carried her out of the jungle."

"She was really sick and losing lots of blood," Cloud continued, "It took me nearly 2 hours to get out of that jungle and into fresh air. She started to recover a little and felt a bit better when we reached fresh air." Cloud said and looked back at Tifa and she weakly smiled at him.

"And just as I had started to walk again we were attacked by giant black eagle things." She said with a fed-up tone.

"They were the size of eagles and were covered in black scales. We were attacked by four." Cloud explained.

Cid, Reno and Elena shared knowing glances with eachother. They had been attacked by a flock of similar creatures on the bridge.

"Cloud killed three and I took on one. In the end Cloud killed them all." Tifa said, "I wasn't too helpful." She said forlornly.

"You were injured," Elena said softly as an understanding expression was set on her features.

"We were covered in blood and were desperate for a wash so we quickly washed up at this small creek we found. When we returned we saw Barret and Marlene by the dead monsters we killed." Cloud said.

"He killed." Tifa said under her breath. No one except Cloud heard her.

"We saw the broken bridge and figured it would be best to find another way across. After a while, you guys found us." Cloud said, trying to keep the story as brief as possible.

"Sounds like you guys have been through a lot." Reno said.

"Especially with the wee kid." Cid said as he referred to Marlene who was asleep on Barret's lap.

"It hasn't been easy," Tifa said quietly and then her face brightened up. "There's still another story to be told."

"Cid," Elena said to him, "You tell it."

Cid took a breath and then started his story. "So same old, same old, I woke up on the beach with Elena. We went straight into looking for everyone and went into that freaking jungle. After half a day's journey in there we were chased by giant wasps. Elena shot one down and I stabbed the other one to death. When I woke up the next day, Reno had found us. We spent a long time in that jungle until we finally broke out of there. We found a bridge to get across the cliffs – the one that is now destroyed as you have all pointed out. While we were crossing a flock of those black, scaled eagles attacked us. There must have been 100 or so!" Cid exclaimed.

"I think you're exaggerating." Elena said.

"Quiet you." Cid said, "_I'm_ tellin' the story."

Elena just folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Anywho, we got across and were injured. It was raining heavily and after a while we found an empty haunted ghost village. After almost a day's rest in there we left and ventured into the dead, haunted forest. We were attacked one night and Vincent and Yuffie saved us."

"I 'spose the rest you can figure out yourselves." Cid said and then lit up a cigarette.

"Wait, you both were in the same empty village?" Tifa asked.

"At the same time?" Cloud asked.

"We didn't know…" Reno said as he fumbled his thumbs.

* * *

"What did you do to him!" Red growled as he approached Tseng who was standing near Cait Sith and Rude.

Tseng turned, his pupils dilated, "What do you mean, Nanaki?" He asked unknowingly.

"Don't lie," Red snarled, "You drowned him!" He roared at Tseng.

_Too late, tiger._

"How dare you accuse me of such!" Tseng shouted back.

"What's going on?" Rude said. His deep voice was louder than usual. He had just been standing there having a small chat with Cait when Tseng had walked in and then Red came stomping him not long after.

"You tell me." Tseng said acting confused.

"Tseng drowned Denzel!" Red shouted as his eyebrows greatly furrowed at him and fire flickered in his enraged eyes.

Rude looked at Tseng and then lowered his head. He didn't doubt Red's statement but he felt ashamed and let down by Tseng. He had known the man for years and had worked by his side. Those long years had come to an end the second he drowned the innocent, young kid. He closed his eyes in sorrow as Red and Tseng argued.

"Red just calm down for a minute lad!" Cait Sith shouted. He himself had no idea what was going on.

"No." He shouted, "I will not, Cait. Denzel is dead!"

"How do you know?" Tseng asked.

"Don't act like you don't know." Red said, "You drowned him. He was just a kid! His life was just coming back together! Why! Why him, Tseng!" Red shouted in fury, rage and grief.

"I don't know what-" Tseng began but was interrupted.

"Stop it, Tseng!" Rude shouted. Surprising everyone from his sudden outburst. "You did it. I know it, you know it and Red knows it! Tseng what's wrong with you. You've changed. It's that crystal,"

Tseng's brows furrowed at the mention of _his_ crystal.

"You need to let it go before it consumes you. You're turning into an anxious monster!" Rude said.

Red couldn't take the stalling any longer. He couldn't get the thought of Denzel's death out of his mind. It was setting his body on fire. How could Tseng do it? Denzel had done nothing. He just wanted to go home, to see Tifa and Cloud again. Tifa and Cloud… How would they react? He felt like he disappointed them. He felt like he had failed. This whole time he had just been standing by. Well no longer. He readied into a pouncing positioned and then pushed his claws off the ground and came at Tseng.

Tseng was taken aback by Red's sudden attack. He had been arguing with Rude. Red landed on top of the man and held him to the ground. His claws sheaved in the air as he brought them back and just before he brought them down to swipe Tseng's face off. He felt a burning sensation in his shoulder. It was almost as if everything froze. Tseng took the opportunity to scramble from Red's loosening grip. As soon as he was on his feet he ran.

Tseng was gone. Physically and mentally.

Red looked down at his shoulder and then up at Rude. He was standing there, solidly, holding a gun and had it aimed at Red. Smoke was floating around suggesting that he had just shot it. "I don't understand." Red said simply. No anger was shown in his word for the reason that he felt no anger.

Rude lowered his arm. His head hung low, "He's my friend."

"He was." Red said.

* * *

Tseng ran quickly through the jungle, clutching his crystal.

_I knew it. I told you. I knew it. I told you._

He frantically looked around feeling someone was chasing him.

_I knew it. I told you._

His body felt hot and his mind was rushing with a million thoughts.

_I knew it._

Sweat built up on his forehead as he felt his body go into overdrive.

_I told you._

He couldn't take it anymore.

_Durin._

A terrifying, scary and heartrending scream was heard from nearly half the island.

* * *

This was only the beginning.

* * *

**And it is only the beginning :) To all of those who thought this was ending soon, I'm afraid your _very_ wrong! I've planned a rather long plot here. Sorry, if some bits drag out and I'm even interested in writing sequels to this story. **

**Let me know what you think of that idea :)**

**Thanks for reading and review!**

**The Fallen Angel24**


	17. Dreadful Dilemma's

**Thank you to Volixia669, ChaosAngel4us, cloudlover2989, XXSilverXTwilightXX and annomous for your reviews :)**

**annomous: I apologize for the way I used Christ's name in vain in the last chapter. I knew it would be a risk taking it and so I took that risk. I'm honestly sorry and I'll make sure it doesn't happen again in the next chapters to come.**

**So heres a dramatic chapter for you all :D I would have updated sooner but I was busy making an AMV on YouTube haha...**

**Enjoy; Dreadful Dilemma's**

* * *

Dreadful Dilemma's

"There they are," A Renpau whispered into Remotay's ear.

They were currently behind bushes and watching the humans in the distance. It had taken nearly 3 days for them to catch up to them. They had the element of surprise on their side.

A Lexigen let out a loud gruff behind Remotay causing Cloud to look around in suspicion in the distance. Remotay ordered a fellow Renpau to scold the Lexigen and then went back to observing the humans.

It was only the break of dawn and many of them were asleep. 3 sat up awake though, one with blond spiky hair, one with a red cape and the other with long red hair tied into a ponytail.

"Their numbers have increased." A Renpau said while he crouched next to Remotay. Remotay nodded. They were now more powerful.

"We will attack in precisely 5 minutes. Prepare the Lexigen." Remotay whispered to the Renpau.

* * *

Cloud looked around suspiciously at his surroundings. He felt like he was being watched. He had recently heard a noise but he had just figured it to be a bird. That didn't mean it was harmless though. His mako blue eyes scanned the area surrounding them. They were still on the edge of the cliff. He, Reno and Vincent had woken up and the others still rested. His sleep hadn't been very peaceful; Barret's snoring had waked him up atleast 3 times. Reno had been experiencing the same annoyance from Barret.

Vincent had noticed Cloud's sudden alert expression. "Is everything okay, Cloud?"

Cloud looked at Vincent, "I thought I heard something."

"I heard it too," Reno said. "It didn't sound too _friendly_, either."

The three of them then eyed the area for the next few minutes. Cloud looked down at Tifa who was right next to him, lying down on the grass, asleep. Some of her dark hair fell over her face, he was tempted to move it out of place so he could see her face but didn't want to accidently wake her.

"So what are your thoughts about Rude and Tseng, Reno?" Cloud asked interested to how Reno must have been taking their absence.

"I reckon Rude and Tseng are alive. I just dunno where they are." Reno said as he leant back, "Their probably on the other side of the island."

"I feel the same about Red." Cloud confessed.

"Nanaki would have survived. I am positive he's wandering around this island somewhere." Vincent added.

"What do you think about Cait-" Cloud was cut off by a spear landing 3 inches from his knee.

"Shit!" Reno exclaimed at the surprising attack.

Cloud, Vincent and Reno's heads darted at the jungle as about 20 monkey-like humans ran out charging with spears in their hands. Cloud immediately recognized the species that he, Barret, Tifa and Marlene were attacked by before.

Cloud instantly turned to Tifa beside him and shook her shoulder, "Teef, Teef, we're being attacked."

"Hmm, huh, okay?" Tifa said wearily as she woke up slowly, as her eye sight adjusted she saw the apes charging at them were only 10 feet away. Her eyes widened and now she was truly awake. "Holy mother of-! I'll wake everyone!" She screamed as she stumbled to her feet and started to run around and shake everyone awake.

Cloud jumped to his feet and swung his sword out. Preparing to battle by standing in his battle stance. Vincent pulled his gun out and Reno brought his rod out. Another spear was thrown at them and was aimed at Vincent; He easily dodged it and then brought his gun up and shot the ape that had aimed at him.

Tifa shook Yuffie violently, "Wake up!" She screamed into her ear. Yuffie opened her eyes slowly and mumbled something but Tifa just pointed hysterically at the attackers and Yuffie quickly got the message. Tifa jumped over Yuffie and then practically punched Barret awake.

"Hold up, girl!" He said as he rubbed his head. Tifa saw the look of shock on his face and then left him on his own. She then woke Cid up and received a nice line of insults from him.

Cloud swung the Buster sword forward and just tipped the ape in front of him. He missed it by millimetres. He pivoted on his foot and brought his sword down again and got the ape in the shoulder. Another monkey then appeared next to the one he had just injured and swung a spear at him. He dodged it and then swung his sword across to meet flesh and bone. He saw the other injured ape struggled to throw its spear at him and he slashed it across the neck; chopping off his head.

Vincent shot the apes as they approached him. He acted as a defence for Cloud. More and more were appearing out of the jungle. Ape after ape. He shot another one down and watched it twitch on the dirt and then shot it again to end its life. He hated when things would twitch. An ape caught him by surprise and stabbed its spear into his left arm. Vincent quickly pulled away and shot at it before it hurt him even more. He could feel a new tingly and fiery injury start to bleed on his left arm.

Reno was electrocuting every primate in his reaching-distance. More of the animals were appearing and it was like a whole army. He had only killed 5 of the creatures so far. It took atleast 3 shots of electricity to fully bring one down. An ape was about to bring its spear down on the side of Reno's neck but it was stopped because of 4 bullet holes piercing its chest. Reno turned his head to see Vincent was the one who had saved him. He gave Vincent a reassuring and thankful nod and continued fighting.

Tifa had finally woken everyone up. She and Barret had ordered Elena to take Marlene as far from the battle as they could but still be able to see them. They had picked Elena because her gun was out of ammo and everyone else was fit to fight. Tifa turned to see Cloud being attacked by more primates than he could handle. Everyone was too busy to help him so Tifa quickly jumped into action. She dodged a spear and jumped over 2 dead apes. As she reached Cloud she swung her fist and knocked out an ape. He turned to look at her and bowed his head in thanks and then jumped to dodge a spear. Cloud continued slashing and driving forward while Tifa acted as his defence. Like they usually did in battles.

She had to admit, she was a little raw in her fighting and accuracy. It had been nearly 2 years of no fighting. Sure, Tifa had been training but she hadn't been in the life and death situations in a long time.

Yuffie was fighting 3 apes off by herself. Like everyone was, there was just too many to have a one on one death match with that everyone was fighting off atleast 3 or 4. She swung her shuriken at one and then ducked from a spear that was thrown at her from the distance. She thrust her hand into the air and caught her shuriken and then fought off another with it. Her back felt a sudden sharp tip scrape against it. She quickly manoeuvred on the spot and turned to kick the spear out of the ape's hands. She was about to throw her shuriken at the weapon-less ape but felt something suddenly tie around her ankle. She looked down in surprise to see a rope tied around her ankle. Before she could think, the rope pulled her from the ground and her body fell flat onto the floor as she was pulled. She screamed as she tried to grab something. Her body felt numerous spears scratch and scrape her and she was stabbed twice. Once in the shoulder and on the thigh lightly; they weren't serious and hardly hurt her. Her hand lost grip on her shuriken and it was left behind.

Vincent shot another ape and then heard screaming. He turned to see Yuffie being dragged along the grass but a rope lassoed around her ankle. He thought it was a rather odd attack from a primate but he ignored the curiosity in his mind and shot the ape that was pulling the rope.

Yuffie suddenly felt the pull on the rope stop and looked to see the ape now lying dead on the floor. She was about to push herself up but was stopped when she felt something jump onto her back and pushed her down. Her face full on face-planted the ground and hurt her nose. She glanced over her shoulder to see an ape standing on her, crouching. In its hand it held a rope. Before she could act another ape grabbed her wrist and was tying her wrists together. She screamed again as she felt the rope lassoed around her ankle tightening. Was she being tied up? Her question was answered when she felt the ape on her back start tying her arms to her body. She couldn't move at all. She wriggled to try and get free of their grip but the rope was already too tight.

Reno sent electricity through another primate's body and watched it fall to the ground twitching. He looked around. Everyone was deep in battle mode. Cloud was slashing and cutting every ape that was in his path while Tifa fought off every ape that tried to attack her or Cloud by kicking or punching it. Vincent was ducking, dodging and rolling on the ground to avoid spears that came from everywhere and when he had the chance he would shoot them down with his gun. Cid was stabbing apes and throwing his own spear at them. Barret was running around like the maniac he was in a fight and shooting everywhere with his gun-arm. Reno turned and tasered another ape and as it fell he could see a gathering of apes in the distance. There was atleast 8 of them, walking away, carrying something.

He fought another ape off and then left the battle to follow the other apes that were now entering the jungle.

Cloud slashed through another one as Tifa kicked another ape away like it was a ragdoll. They were both tiring and were breathing heavily from all the physical exertion. Another ape approached and he swung his sword forward but the ape jumped back and evaded the attack. Cloud stepped forward and fiddled with the handle of his sword as he prepared to take on the enemy. The ape swayed its spear and tried to hit Cloud but Cloud's catlike reflexes easily avoided the assault and he pivoted on his feet and then brought his sword down hard onto the ape. He looked left and saw 5 primates attacking Tifa. It was more than she could take on by herself so he came to the rescue. His sword went through one and he watched it fall to the ground.

Tifa punched one and then picked it up by the throat and threw it in Cloud's direction to have him cut his sword through it. Cloud then ducked from a thrown spear and stabbed an ape that was running to him. Tifa revolved on the spot and kicked another one out of the way and then brought her two clenched fists forward and punched the ape in front of her several times before kicking it like a kickball away.

Cloud looked around with a grim smile to see that the number of primates had decreased greatly and only 5 were left standing.

Vincent shot down one and Cid threw his spear into another.

"2 down," Cid said with a smirk.

Barret shot another on to the ground and Cloud swung his sword at another. Tifa had the finishing touch and brutally kicked and then threw the ape into a tree that was metres away. They all were tired and were panting.

Cid looked at the dead apes on the ground and tried to count them. "1," he said, "2," he said as he pointed at the next, "3."

Vincent examined the area and couldn't see Yuffie anywhere. "Where's Yuffie?"

Cloud looked around in suspicion when he couldn't see her or another aswell. "And Reno?"

"12, 13, 14," They heard Cid count in the background. "15, 16."

* * *

Reno followed them and as he got closer he noticed they were carrying a human tied in rope. He risked looking closer through the bushes and after a long time of studying the figure he recognized Yuffie. He jumped out of the bushed and ran to catch them and then pulled his taser out and shot one down.

"Reno, thank gawd!" She shouted.

Reno then fought another but felt something hard hit his head. It felt like a giant boulder had been thrown on him.

"Reno?" He heard Yuffie say one more time and then all turned black.

* * *

"What do we do now, Remotay?" A Renpau whispered to him. Remotay looked back to see 4 of his Renpau left. They were still hidden behind the bushes and foliage of the jungle. He didn't know whether to attack the humans or to retreat. He hadn't expected them to wipe out his entire crowd.

He had ordered 8 of his Renpau to collect one of the weaker humans so they could be questioned by their Master. He had seen them succeed from their task and had tied up and carried one of the smallest humans. However, Remotay had also noticed how another human had followed.

He was begging and praying in his mind that the follower wouldn't ruin his plans further.

He looked to the left at the 3 Renpau who were carrying the little human.

"We will abort. Their numbers and strength together are too strong. For now." He said, "But, leave the young one."

"Sir?" A Renpau said in confusion. Why did his master want to give away one of their bribing tokens?

Renpau looked at the little one and then pulled a disgusted face. "He's dead, we don't need him."

The Renpau nodded and then put the young boy down on the grass.

* * *

Vincent frowned as he saw a stir in the jungle. Within the vines and tangled foliage he saw the figures of the primate's scurry away. He walked slowly in the direction to see if they left any behind. As he approached the jungle he had a feeling in his gut. All of a sudden his instincts were set on max and he could feel his insides tighten. It was a natural instinct he would get often when he was in danger or was about to encounter something dangerous. He reached the vines that draped across and braced himself as he pulled them across like a curtain. His heart beat must have increased to a whole new level that day as he saw a young boy lay there lifeless on the ground. Of course, he didn't show it. Vincent's emotionless expression remained on his face but his eyes spoke a whole new story. He turned to see Tifa and Cloud looking at him oddly, wondering what he was doing.

"Vincent?" Tifa said curiously.

"You okay, man?" Cloud said as he felt the uneasy atmosphere around him.

Vincent couldn't speak. He didn't want to tell them but they had to know. He stepped aside and Cloud walked over to where the man was previously standing. He peered through the bushes and his blue eyes widened. He could feel a large lump in his throat form and a gloomy expression formed on his face.

Vincent put a hand on his shoulder and Cloud looked up at him. His face was disbelieving. His eyes were still wide and stared at him with remarkable grief. Vincent just bowed his head and then looked down at the lifeless child in pity.

"Cloud?" Tifa's voice floated through the air.

Cloud turned to look at her and she frowned in concern and confusion. "Cloud? What's wrong?" She said as she stepped closer.

"Tifa." Cloud said, his voice cracking with sadness.

Tifa walked over and stood next to Cloud to see what was making them so upset. As the object of their misery came into view, Tifa's heart started to pound in her chest. She hesitantly pulled the vines across to reveal Denzel. She gasped at the sight and then the tears came. The look on her face could have injured even the happiest of souls.

"Denzel," She said through her tears, her voice shaking with grief. "Denzel," She said again just above a whisper as she pushed past the bushes and crouched beside him.

Cloud joined her and knelt next to her. He put a comforting arm around her shoulders as she wept.

Vincent decided to take the cue to leave and inform the others. Still in the back of his head he was worried about where Yuffie had disappeared to.

Tifa laid a hand on Denzel's forehead and wiped some of his hair out of his face and then stroked his cold cheek with her quivering hand. Tears continued rolling down her cheeks as she continued to cry for him. It was a whole new grief for her to experience. She had never felt like this before. Tifa loved Denzel like her own son. To see him lie before her lifeless was more than heartbreaking for her. No words could describe the mourning stirring inside her.

She reached forward and took the boy into her hands and hugged him tightly.

Cloud had his own few tears roll down his cheeks. He was trying his best to be strong but it was too hard. He watched Tifa hug Denzel and just hearing Tifa's sobs were enough to drive him into an episode of emotion. He hated seeing her cry, what's worst was seeing her cry for his figurative son.

Then something caught his teary eye. As Tifa hugged and rocked Denzel in her arms a small orange berry rolled out of his pocket.

"Those berries are native to this land." Cloud suddenly said.

"What?" Tifa said her voice distorted because her face was nuzzled into Denzel's hair.

"How did Denzel get these berries?" Cloud said as he picked one up.

"I don't know," Tifa said through tears, "Maybe he picked them?"

"Then he must have been alive on the island?" Cloud noted.

Tifa stopped hugging Denzel and lay him down peacefully and then she wiped her eyes, "What do you mean?" She said her voice clearer than before.

"I just don't understand. If he drowned from the storm; how did he end up here?" Cloud said.

"Some of the primates left him here, they must have collected him." Vincent said as he stepped back in. Cid and Barret were behind him, looking sympathetic.

"How did he get these then?" Cloud asked Vincent and held up the berries from Denzel's pocket.

Vincent puckered brow, "He must have survived the storm and picked those berries for food."

"If he survived the storm," Cid said, "How come he's…"

"Dead." Tifa ended for him as a stray tear escaped her eye again.

Cloud patted her on the back. They all stayed silent for the next few minutes.

"I need to go tell Marlene." Barret said quietly after a moment of peace. He pushed past the bushes and went to give Marlene sad news.

"Do you think the monkey people did this?" Cid said lightly, trying to be sensitive about the topic. He knew how much Denzel meant to Cloud and Tifa.

"Those monsters." Tifa said more to herself then the others, "He's only a kid," Another tear slid down her cheek, "A whole life was ahead of him," Her voice was shaky and before she could continue she started crying again. Cloud pulled her to him and hugged her as he rubbed his palm on her back trying to soothe her.

Vincent felt anger well up inside of him. Things had taken a turn for the worst now, they had just been attacked by nearly 30 native apes on the island, they had lost Yuffie and Reno and they had just discovered Denzel, a kid of 10, dead.

Cloud moved his hand over to Denzel's small hand and held it in his as his other hand comforted a crying Tifa. As he held Denzel's hand he felt a very very very subtle beat. He felt a pulse.

His eyebrows rose, "I feel a pulse."

Tifa raised her head from where it was nestled in the crook of Cloud's next. Her eyes were red and watery from crying. "What?" She said.

"It's only very light, but I feel it." He said and then passed Tifa Denzel's hand. She took it and looked at him and Cloud smiled.

She moved her thumb over his wrist and her eyes sparkled and she smiled, "I can feel a pulse too."

"Dang, where's Yuffie. We need Revive Materia." Cid said as he looked around.

"Yuffie's missing and so is Reno." Cloud pointed out.

"Our new plan is to find Yuffie and Reno and then we can use her Revive materia on Denzel." Vincent said. Everyone nodded.

"Okay, where do we find Yuffie?" Tifa said as she stood up while wiping her eyes dry.

Cloud crouched by Denzel and then picked him up in his arms.

"I'll tell Barret and Elena that Denzel's still alive." Cid said and then ran off towards a crying Elena and Marlene.

"I last saw Yuffie in the battle." Cloud said as he shuffled Denzel who he carried in his arms.

"I agree, I saw her with a rope lassoed around her ankle, a primate was dragging her with it. I shot him down though I'm not sure if she escaped." Vincent explained.

"By the looks of things, she didn't escape." Cloud said.

Tifa sighed, "We only just got back together."

Cloud looked at Tifa, feeling her feelings as his own.

"They can't be far. The battle was only 20 or so minutes ago. If we leave now, we should catch up quickly." Cloud told her.

* * *

Tseng pulled out his pocket-knife and then held his long hair in his hand. He brought the knife up and then slashed it down and cut his hair off. His black hair drifted slowly to the ground as he felt his short hair. His longest hairs now reached his chin and a few short layers had been created. His skin was as white as the brides wedding dress on her wedding day. He sweated heavily and hadn't slept properly for the last 6 days.

His eyes were as dark as the darkest nights as he examined the area around him. He had run far from Red, Rude and Cait Sith and had gotten himself lost in the jungle. Tseng was lost but Durin wasn't.

_How dare he attack me._

_He must be killed. _

_In time._

_First we must do what we have planned._

_Have revenge on the Renpau._

He stumbled through the forest quickly, knowing exactly where he was going. He would take breaks every now and then and rest. His temperature was incredibly high and his throat felt tight and dry. The experience would have been sickening and horrible to a normal human being, however, Tseng dismissed it and continued on the task at hand.

Though, this wasn't a normal human anymore.

And it wasn't Tseng.

His name was Durin.

* * *

Yuffie struggled in the rope she was bind in. She would wriggle and squirm within the ropes but they were tied to tight. Her hands were bind together by the wrist and the action had been repeated around her ankles. The only part of her body she could move was her head. Nevertheless, she still tried to escape the ropes grip as she lied on the ground, watching the primates tie an unconscious Reno up the same way they had tied her up.

Her dark brown eyes examined the surroundings. They were still the jungle since they were surrounded by trees of all different shapes and sizes, heights and widths. Shrubs were scattered along the jungle floor and wild flowers grew in all directions. Between the tight tree tops sunlight poured in and acted like a spotlight as Yuffie lay in it. With her mind she counted the primates around her. There were 7 of them, originally there were 8 but Reno had taken one out a while back. 4 of the apes tied Reno up, around the wrists, around the ankles and around the whole body. 2 of them stood on either side of Yuffie, acting as guards or look outs and the other primate seemed to be the one giving the orders. They had been communicating by grunting to eachother.

Though, Yuffie could have sworn she heard the acting leader one say the English word – 'No,' fluently and firmly at one of the apes.

She exhaled deeply in impatience. The grass on the jungle floor was sharp and prickly as it scratched at her bare neck making an itching irritation. Finally, the apes had finished tying the unconscious Reno up and 3 of the apes picked him up and began carrying him whilst the other 2 picked Yuffie up. The leader ape walked at the front and led the way while another ape walked at the back.

They travelled in silence at first, Yuffie squirming every now and then until she finally opened her mouth. "Where are you taking me, you stupid monkeys?" She said confidently.

No reply, they just continued walking.

"Answer the question!" She raised her voice.

There was still no reply, except for the sound of the wind snaking through the trees and the footsteps crunching on dead leaves on the jungle floor.

"Let me go!" She screamed in impatience. "I don't need this right now," She babbled, "All we want is to find our friends and go home, this doesn't need to be added to our list of things to deal with."

"Please, let me go." She said her voice small.

After no response

She let out a groan of frustration and impatience.

* * *

Vincent looked down at the silver shuriken on the ground. Blood was smudged on one of the 4 points. He figured it was from battle but he worried it could have been Yuffie's blood. He bent down and picked it up; being cautious of the sharp points it had and made a mental note to keep it away from Denzel and Marlene. He turned to see everyone preparing for their new journey. Elena and Tifa had just returned from gathering fruit and Cloud, Barret and Cid were cleaning their weapons free of any blood that was spilt in the battle.

Vincent walked over to join the rest of the party.

Cloud bent down and picked up Denzel, "Come on, bud." He said as he picked him up and shuffled him in his arms to make himself and Denzel more comfortable.

"We'll take turns carrying Denzel." Vincent said.

Cloud nodded and then checked the grounds to see if they had left anything. "Are we ready to go?" Elena said.

"Looks like it," Cloud said, "Alright, let's mosey."

Cid sighed after hearing Cloud's signature term. Time after time he had told Cloud how wimpy that sounded but he never listened.

Vincent started to lead the group into the jungle near where Yuffie's shuriken was lying. It suggested that that was where she was dragged to before she lost her grip on her weapon.

Cloud walked right behind Vincent while he carried Denzel in his arms and Tifa walk by his side. Barret and Marlene were a few feet behind them while Cid and Elena were bringing along the rear.

Tifa looked at the unconscious Denzel in Cloud's arms next to her. His life was only hanging by a thread and soon that thread would snap. They had to find Yuffie quickly. Tifa cursed in her head, 'Why out of all people did the one who had the Revive materia have to be the one who gets kidnapped?' She thought to herself. She was thankful she had Denzel back with her, it had dismissed a lot of anxiety she had been suffering with.

They walked for nearly the next hour with small conversation, suddenly Vincent decided to stop and speak something that was on his mind.

"Cloud, would you like someone else to carry Denzel now?" He said.

He shuffled Denzel in his arms and had an approving expression, "If someone could, my arms are aching." Cloud confessed.

"I'll take him," Barret said and Cloud careful passed him into Barret's strong hold.

"Thanks." Cloud said.

Another hour passed of mindless wandering, everyone knew they were lost but no one decided to say it, they were basically relying on one another's instinct.

Marlene couldn't say she completely understood what was going on. She was just following her dad the whole time. When Barret had told her that Denzel was just found she was over the moon. Happiness would be an understatement for the cheerfulness that glowed from her little face. That happiness quickly disappeared when he told her that he wasn't awake. At first it was confusion that moulded her features until her sophisticated brain had worked out what her dad truly meant. Tears quickly flowed from her eyes. The tears quickly vanished subsequent to when Cid told them the good news. That he was still awake and that a flicker of life still remained. Her dad hadn't told her much, no one told her much, but he did say that they were now going to look for Yuffie and that Yuffie would be able to wake Denzel up. It seemed like nothing was easy. The moment they find another was the moment that more friends left.

Marlene just didn't understand. All she truly understood was that they weren't home yet and she knew she was missing it.

She stepped over the branches and small shrubs on the jungle floor as she followed Tifa who was directly in front of her.

She sighed as she remembered they had just gotten out of the jungle and that they were back in it. It wasn't as hot as it was before in the jungle, Marlene figured it was because it was a lot more open. No one had to cut through the vegetation like Uncle Cloud had to a few days ago. She remembered when her and her dad had split up from them and that her dad had to pull out plants and shrubs to get through the thick jungle instead because they didn't have anything to cut with.

It had been agonising for the both of them.

"Everything okay, bub?" Barret said as he noticed the thoughtful expression on Marlene's face.

She looked up at her dad and her best friend who was unconscious in his arms. A small, innocent smile tugged at her lips, "Yes daddy." She said.

Barret nodded and then looked down at the kid in his arms. If he wasn't as pale as he was he would appear to be sleeping to the regular person. His skin was cold to touch and was unsettling. His weight had increased from the lack of life in him but Barret didn't mind. Then something odd caught Barret's eye. Red marks were on the back and sides of his neck. He brushed a finger over one and through his years of fighting he knew how Denzel had received those. He had been strangled. His heart started to drive faster at the thought that he had experienced an attempted murder. He couldn't keep this information to himself; he had to share it with Cloud.

Another few minutes passed that felt like eternity to Barret. "Vincent, I reckon we should have a rest." Barret said. Cloud and Tifa turned and looked back at him with amused expressions. Barret wasn't usually the one to suggest a break. Barret nudged Marlene with his knee and she quickly caught on.

"I'm tired." She whined.

Everyone decided a quick 5 minute rest. Cid stayed standing and lit up a cigarette. Elena and leant back on the tree next to her and looked around in thought. Tifa and Marlene sat down a few feet away while Cloud and Vincent stayed standing and were looking rather impatient. Tifa smiled at Marlene who hugged her and then patted her head as the young girl clung to her. She watched Barret ask Cloud something and then saw them walk further away.

Barret put Denzel down and Cloud squatted next to him while Barret crouched on the other side of him. Barret moved some of Denzel's hair out of the way to reveal the red marks to Cloud. His blond brows furrowed and he looked closer and ran a finger over them.

"I noticed them not long ago." Barret said.

Cloud nodded while he stared at the red marks. He had been in just as many fights and seen just as many things as Barret had and he knew how Denzel received them. "Who would do this?" He said softly.

"When I get my hands on those fucking monkeys-" Barret began to mumble in anger.

"How do we know that the natives did this?" Cloud said. "I don't think this is how they would kill a person. I never once saw them use their hands in the fight. They relied on their spears and weapons."

"Who else could it be, Cloud?" Barret said but received no answer. Cloud just continued to run his finger over the marks. "Why would they do this?" Barret said.

"If it were those monkeys, perhaps it's a warning." Cloud said.

"What warning?" He heard Tifa's voice say.

"Tifa," Cloud said as he saw her standing not far from them. A hand on her hip and an eyebrow rose.

"What warning, Cloud?" She said firmer and walked closer to them.

Cloud debated in his head whether to tell her and decided now wasn't the right time. He didn't know how she would take the news. "The surprise attack before." Cloud began and Barret looked at him strangely. "It was most likely a warning telling us to watch out."

Tifa's face stayed impartial for a moment and then she smiled and had her usual warm and welcoming face. "Yeah," She said softly and slowly, "I suppose it was."

Cloud nodded and then watched her walk away. Once she was out of hearing range Barret decided to speak.

"You're gettin' yourself into trouble, Strife." He said.

* * *

**Oh Cloud, why do you have to keep this from her? You know Tifa won't be too happy when she finds out haha. I wasn't planning on giving Denzel back so soon but everyone missed him so I did :)**

**Thank you everyone for reading and please review!**

**TheFallenAngel24. x**


	18. Jeneshisu

**I'm not personally to happy with this chapter, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. I think I could have written it better, but ohwell. Atleast I've updated :)**

**Giant thank you to sapphire wind, XXSilverXTwilightXX, Volixia669, cloudlover2989 and The Royal Cupcake.**

**Enjoy chapter 18: Jeneshisu.**

* * *

Jeneshisu

It had been almost half a day of travel until they had finally reached their destination. Yuffie had been feeling sick from her lack of nutrition. She had been lightheaded and had actually blanked out a few times. Sweat covered her forehead and body and her throat felt dry and tight. Now and then her vision would take a strange turn; she would start seeing everything in double and now and then it felt like the world was spinning. She was not feeling well; she just wanted to be back with her friends. Yuffie wouldn't admitted it out loud, but she was feeling scared. She was on a deserted island that was populated with monkeys and had been separated from her friends. On top of it all; she was feeling sick.

She turned her head to see Reno still unconscious. His arms hung loosely off his body and his head swayed as the creatures carried him. Yuffie had started worrying for him too; he had been out for a long time. He had been hit very hard from one of the monkeys.

The ape leading them reached a cascade of vines. They fell from the treetops like ribbons. He pushed them aside to reveal a large tent that was made out of leaves, wines, branches, trees and everything you could use to build a tent. Small huts similar to the ones in the dead village she had previously been in were scattered around the large tent. A taller primate walked up to them.

"Where is Remotay?" The primate said. Yuffie's eyebrows rose; they spoke English?

"Excuse me," She piped up.

The ape carrying her hit her on the head to silence her. It hadn't been a hard hit and was more of a warning so she wouldn't speak no more. The effect of the hand colliding with her head sent her head into another experience of dizziness.

The primates shared glances and then the 2 ones who were carrying her carried her to the tent. She shuffled in their grip, trying to get out of it but the ropes around her didn't help. They entered the tent and it was filled with darkness and put her down on what felt like grass.

The grass she felt beneath her body was cold and wet; it sent a shiver up her spine. The moist dirt would cling to her body, quickly covering her in the mess. She heard the apes leave the tent until it was just her in the darkness. Everything would look the exact same if she closed her eyes. She looked around, not being able to see a thing but tried to find some sign, hear something, and feel something that Reno was around. She then heard footsteps approach her and could feel the presence of someone. Suddenly the rope that was tied tightly around her body was being untied by someone. However the ropes around her ankles and wrists remained.

Soon they disappeared and she was alone again. Sweat started to form on her forehead from impatience and anxiety. She had been by herself in the dark for nearly an hour. She wasn't only worried about herself at the moment though. She was scared for Reno. What was happening to him while she was in here? Was he okay? Should she attempt to escape? Minute after minute her breathing increased and she could feel herself starting to get lightheaded again. She was still heavily sick and was starting to feel nauseous. Yuffie had thought she had an awful experience yesterday when she was climbing the cliff, but right now just couldn't compare. She was all alone this time, tied up and vulnerable and in a tent of darkness in a place she didn't know. Yep, this was worse. She had been in situations before where she was by herself but this was different on multiple levels.

Finally a candle lit up ahead of her. The simple flicker made her heart jump and her body flinch. It was now she realized she wasn't alone.

* * *

"I'm pretty sure we've been here before." Elena said as she looked around in the jungle they stood in.

"What makes you say that?" Tifa asked.

"It looks familiar." Elena said.

"Everything looks familiar." Cid said, "This whole freaking jungle looks the same."

Tifa sighed. A single drop of water landed smack in the middle of her forehead. She felt it run down her face and then she looked up at the sky. Between the branches of the trees and the gaps among the leaves she could see a bluey grey sky.

"Not again," She said to herself quietly.

"What?" Barret asked as he heard her.

"Looks like it's gonna rain." Tifa said.

"Frigging hell," Cid muttered as he crushed a cigarette butt against a tree to put it out.

"Come on," Cloud said, "Let's try find Yuffie and Reno before it rains."

Vincent nodded and followed Cloud as he held Denzel in his hands. Cloud and Barret had shown Vincent the marks earlier on and asked what he thought. He hadn't known what to think. He suspected there could have been other humans on the island, but why would they hurt a young innocent boy? Vincent looked down at Denzel that was currently unconscious in his arms.

Cid and Barret followed and Marlene wandered behind her dad. Elena and Tifa both shared a sigh and followed at the back.

"What's with the weather on this island?" Elena said as she stepped over a small shrub.

"I don't know," Tifa sighed, "I don't really care. I just want to find Yuffie and Reno and use revive on Denzel and then go home." She sounded so fed up and tired.

Elena sympathetically smiled at her for comfort. It wasn't like Tifa to talk like this but she could understand. "What about the others? Tseng and Rude? I know you're not too fond of them, but they are important to Reno and me."

Tifa looked at her with an apologetic expression, "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just want to go home. Of course once we get Yuffie and Reno back we'll look for them. I'm also worried about Red and Cait Sith. Although, Cait is a robot, he should be fine." Tifa spoke aloud.

"So you woke up with Cloud straight away on the island?" Elena asked as she pushed a fern out of the way.

Tifa blushed, knowing where this conversation was going. She nodded shyly, "Yeah, we were in the storm together aswell. Somehow he found me in the sea and after that we haven't lost eachother."

"How romantic," Elena teased and Tifa lightly pushed her on the shoulder jokingly.

"Atleast he's taken good care of you." Elena said.

Tifa looked at her mysteriously. "What do you mean by that?"

Elena stopped walking which caused Tifa to stop aswell and look at her confusedly. Elena turned and lifted her left pant leg up to reveal a deep scar. Tifa gasped, "Oh no, when did that happen?"

They went back to walking, "On the bridge when Reno, Cid and I were attacked. One of those monsters claws got me good. The best Cid could do at them time was put cloth around it. I couldn't walk after that."

"Well Cid took good care of you." Tifa said positively, "Cloud did the same with my injury after being attacked."

Elena nodded and weakly smiled at her. "Yeah, _he_ took care of me."

"Am I missing something?" Tifa said good-naturedly.

Elena just shook her head.

Tifa smiled as she quickly caught on, despite what Elena was saying. She put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll find Reno soon."

Elena stopped walking and watched Tifa continue walking and laughing, with wide eyes. Was it that obvious? "Come on," Tifa said while she was still giggling to herself.

Elena jogged to catch up to her and the rest of the group who they had accidently started to slow down from.

"What are you laughin' about?" Cid said to Tifa as they caught up.

"Oh, nothing." Tifa said teasingly. Cloud glanced back and smiled to see Tifa was in a good mood.

Elena nudged Tifa in the arm and Tifa stopped giggling but the amused smile stayed on her face.

Vincent noticed Cloud's happy smile aswell and couldn't help but have his own small smile appear on his face as he knew about Cloud's feelings for Tifa. He had seen the two of them interacting with eachother countless times and could tell from Cloud's actions towards Tifa that he loved Tifa more than just a friend. Of course, Vincent kept this small secret to himself, never telling anyone.

They continued walking for another half an hour until Cloud and Cid had to start cutting through the jungle. The vegetation had started to get really thick. Cloud and Cid began leading the way as they cut through.

"I don't think we're going the right way." Elena said. "I doubt they went through here." She said.

Cloud cut through one more branches and turned to Elena and nodded. "You're right. I don't know how I missed that." He said.

Tifa groaned, "How on earth are we going to find them?"

"My tracking skills aren't as good as they used to be. It's been 2 years since I've done this sort of thing." Vincent admitted.

They all stood there for a moment. Thinking, looking around, sharing glances and feeling lost. "What do we do now?" Elena asked sceptically.

Cloud sighed and rubbed his head with his hand. "We need to find Yuffie and Reno." He said, stating the obvious.

"I meant," Elena said as she stepped past Tifa and Barret and closer to Cloud, "How?"

Cloud looked at her and was feeling greatly astray. For once, he had no idea what to do. "What we've been doing this entire time." He said, unhappily and fed-up.

"This is bullshit. I'm sick of walking mindlessly around on this island, relying on nothin' but instinct!" Barret said loudly.

"Getting angry isn't going to help, Barret." Tifa said trying to calm him down.

"No it's not helping. Nothing's helping. I'm fucking over it!" He shouted. Marlene looked down at the ground obviously very unhappy with her dad.

"Barret you need to relax-" Cloud started.

"-No man! I will not! Denzel's on the edge of dying, Yuffie has all the materia and she's missing, Reno's disappeared and hell, how do we even know their together! Some of our friends are still missin', I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty and I wanna go home and I know that I'm not the only one feeling like this!" Barret said leaving everyone shocked by his sudden outburst.

"Good god if Yuffie just didn't hog all the materia," Cid said causing Vincent's eyes to dart over to him.

"If only she learnt how to share maybe things could be a little different!" Barret added.

Vincent started to feel angry at Barret and Cid's last comments and decided to share his own thoughts, "Should I remind you all that materia is very rare now and isn't as easy to get as it used to be and we're lucky that Yuffie even has some at all. If it wasn't for her we wouldn't even have been able to cure Tifa or cure Cid. Instead of insulting her maybe you should be thanking her." Vincent said, his voice never raising nor lowering throughout the entire speech.

Everyone looked shocked again. It wasn't every day that Vincent would stick up for someone, especially Yuffie. However, Elena, knowing of Yuffie and Vincent's time on the island (after hearing a very detailed story from Yuffie) couldn't help but smile.

"That's enough." Tifa said, "We're wasting time."

"Tifa's right. Come on, we need to hurry." Cloud said and with that, they went back to searching through the jungle.

* * *

Red walked along the edge of the sheer drop with Rude and Cait by his side. They had been searching for Tseng and the others ever since he had run away yesterday. Their journey had led them through the jungle and out into the open where they reached a cliff. They could see across the gap that there was more land but decided travelling to the other half would be pointless seeing as there was no way across.

Hours had passed of them just walking down the side of the cliff with some chit chat between them. After nearly half a day they had found 4 dead black giant bird-like lizard monsters.

"This is certainly strange." Red observed. He looked closer at the cuts that had killed the animals. A small smile formed on his face as he recognized the style of slaughter. He had been in enough fights with the man to know how he cut someone down.

"What do you think happened here?" Cait Sith said.

"Looks like a massacre." Rude said.

"These animals were killed by Cloud Strife. I would know those slices anywhere." Red said causing Rude and Cait to look at him with a glimmer in their eyes.

"How long do you think this was done!" Cait exclaimed happily.

"They are deteriorating." Rude noticed.

"This must have been a while ago." Red said and then perked up, "Come now, we have a lot of time to close." Red said and then began running.

Rude started to run after him and then Cait waddled behind after the two.

* * *

"What do you want?" Yuffie said to the mysterious figure in the dark. From the single light coming from the candle she could see the outline of a human. It looked like a man because of the outline of some muscles. Their hair looked short, up to about their chin.

"Please, let me go. I don't want anything but to find my friends and go home." Yuffie said.

"Why are you here?" A light and calm voice said with masculinity looping through the words.

"Our ship was caught in a storm and we woke up on this island. All we want is to go home." Yuffie said.

"You are human, correct?"

"Yes, we're humans, please, just let me go and please don't hurt my friend." Yuffie said. She quickly thought back to what she had just said she had just called Reno a friend.

"Why did you attack us?"

"We never meant to. We only acted on defence. For our own survival. Please, let us go back to our friends." Yuffie pleaded.

"What do you know of Durin?" The man asked.

"Durin? I've never heard of him." Yuffie said.

"You are not an ally of Durin?"

Yuffie sighed, "No. I haven't heard of the Durin dude. Please let me-"

"Enough pleading!" The voice said harshly and quickly stopped Yuffie from talking.

* * *

It was dark now and was well into the late night. They had all stopped to sleep now. Cloud and Vincent were on look out for 2 hours and then they would wake Barret and Cid for the next shift of look out. Tifa lay on the ground with Denzel right next to her. Barret rested against a tree with Marlene snuggled into him and Cid slept against a boulder that was covered with moss. Elena was sleeping peacefully on the cold grass.

Vincent and Cloud stood still, next to eachother looking up at the cloudy sky. "It still looks like it's going to rain." Cloud said as he referred to Tifa mentioning it earlier that day.

"Indeed." Vincent said. He wasn't really paying attention to Cloud. His mind was in another world. He had been constantly thinking of Yuffie. He didn't think that anyone would want to rest until they found the others but he was obviously wrong. When Barret suggested it was time to have a sleep Vincent was certainly surprised. What if she was in danger? What if at this very moment she was being hurt? Who knows where she is or who she's with? Vincent sighed to himself.

Cloud quickly realized Vincent wasn't interested in what he was saying and decided to go on his own little walk in their surroundings. The scenery was similar to what he had seen the previous nights. Trees dispersed across the jungle ground that was covered in sticks and stones with leaves placed on top of it all. Shrubs and ferns were scattered nearly everywhere your eyes could look. Vines hung from the high tree tops and tangled branches while rocks of all shapes and sizes would fill in those empty spots. Tonight it was dark; the moon was hiding behind the light cotton bundles that drifted in the night sky. His surroundings were crammed with shadows and darkness. He could only just make out the outline of every tree's figure.

He turned around and could see Vincent's back towards him in the distance through the dark. His gut suddenly tightened and he started to feel his instincts turn up to max.

_Is something wrong? _He heard a soft feminine voice say to him. He smiled as he knew who the voice belonged to. He knew the voice only existed in his head though.

_It's nothing. _Cloud responded in his head.

_Hmmm? _The female voice hummed.

Cloud heard something suddenly snap behind him. It had sounded like a twig being stepped on. His head darted there immediately and on the ground, only a few feet in front of him he saw a pink ribbon lying amongst the leaves. He stepped forward with a face screaming confusion and suspicion.

"Cloud," Vincent's monotonous voice said from behind him and Cloud jumped from the startle. He turned to see Vincent standing behind him with his arms folded and with a puzzled look on his face.

"What is it?" Vincent asked.

Cloud turned back to see the pink ribbon gone; nothing there but a scatter of leaves and stones.

"Nothing." Cloud said simply and quietly.

* * *

His head was aching and throbbing, a headache instantly hit him. He could feel a stinging sensation on the side of his head. He opened his heavy eyes and his vision was blurred he could hardly see a thing. His hearing wasn't at its best, everything sounded so distant. This distress continued for another few minutes until Reno could finally see clearly and hear properly. He must have been unconscious for a long time since he could see it was night-time. His hands could feel the cold grass and wet dirt beneath him. It took him a while to remember what had happened.

He cursed under his breath as he remembered himself being separated from everyone else. He remembered Yuffie aswell but couldn't see her anywhere. He was in a tent. The tent was only small and was only a few metres wide. 3 beds were aligned across each side making a total of 6 beds. They were made the same way the bean bags that Reno had seen in the ghost village were made. Woven with the vines and filled with something that he had yet to figure out. But that was the last thing on his mind. His first priority was to find Yuffie and get the hell out of wherever he was and back to the others.

He stood up, a little unbalanced at first but quickly was walking. His wrists were burned from ropes and he had cuts on his ankles. It suggested he had been tied up. Reno could see the rope that had tied him in the corner. His hand felt his belt and he noticed his nightstick was gone. Of course, he hadn't expected him to still it. He walked slowly to the entrance to the tent and pushed the material aside slightly and peeked outside. He could see a bonfire and monkeys circled around it. They looked like they were eating. A thought suddenly struck him; What if they were eating Yuffie? What if he was next! He could see a lot of monkeys standing and walking around. A certain figure stood out to him though.

The reason was because it was a human. Reno had seen many humans and he was one himself, he knew what they looked like, and he knew that that was a human. The human was facing the other way and their back was turned to Reno. Reno could see brown hair on top of the humans head. He had taken note that the hair was short. The human wore a long red coat that looked tattered and torn in various areas. He tried to see more but the human walked back into a very large tent.

Reno quickly shuffled and then practically dived onto the ground where he was previously lying as he saw a primate walking towards the tent. He shut his eyes pretended he was still unconscious. He heard the door flaps flap open as the material slapped the tent walls. He heard it again as another one walked in and figured that two primates had entered the tent.

"Where did Periche put the rope?" A daft and deep voice said. Reno was surprised to hear English.

"Over there, in the corner." A similar but gruffer voice responded.

"Ah," The other voice said and Reno felt the still air around him move as the being walked past.

"Is master still tending to the other human?" The dafter voice asked.

"Yes," The gruff voice grunted. "Remotay said that the other human carried magic orbs. He said Master wanted them right away." Reno immediately knew they were talking about Yuffie's materia.

The gruff voiced monkey walked by Reno and kicked him lightly in the knee, "And this one had a magic wand that was shooting lightning."

"Did Master take that too?" The daft voice asked.

"Yes," The other grunted.

Reno heard them leave and opened his eyes. He felt a wave of relief to know that Yuffie was alive and that their master was 'tending' to her. An ill thought struck his head as to what that may have meant. He stood up and then tip toed to the door again to see fewer primates around.

He had to think of a plan.

* * *

Yuffie turned to see the man walk back into the tent. It was lighted now with candles. The surrounding was furnished with chairs and rugs and cushions. It made Yuffie feel like she was in a sultan's prayer room or something peaceful and cultural like that. The man carried a bowl of fruit filled with bananas, apples and various strange berries that were foreign to her.

"Are you hungry?" His light voice spoke.

Yuffie was seriously starving. Could she trust this man who had kidnapped her? What if the fruit was poisoned? She had been very sick earlier from a lack of nutrition. She didn't see any other choice in her circumstances. She reached forward and took and apple from the bowl and the man took one for himself. He put the bowl of fruit down in front of her and the man walked away and took a bit out of his apple. His head turned to her and looked at her with fascinated eyes.

She took a bite of the apple and then another and found that it wasn't poisoning her.

"Have you not eaten in a while?" He said as he sat down on his throne like chair.

Yuffie shook her head and a small chuckle left his lips. "You have been exploring the wrong side of the island. The west is empty and uncivilised. That's where your companions are now, according to my sources."

Yuffie looked up at him, "And where are we?"

"The eastern side."

She started yelling at herself in her head. She just hoped that Vincent and the others were going the right way.

"What do they call you?" He said.

Yuffie looked up at him again and felt a sense of compassion coming from him. She felt she could trust him. "Yuffie." She said.

The man nodded and a small smile appeared on his face. He had heard many times before about the flower of Wutai.

"And your name?" Yuffie asked.

The man shuffled in his seat and then smirked.

"Genesis Rhapsodos."

* * *

**So I suppose to those major hardcore Final fantasy fans and anyone who can speak Japanese probably would have been aware of Genesis's entrance into the story from the title: Jeneshisu. :) **

**Hmmm, I wonder if Yuffie can trust Genesis or not? What's he doing on the island?**

**I personally have always loved Genesis and couldn't resist throwing him into the story to make things more interesting. I could have made an OC instead but around when I was writing and planning chapter 12 I decided on making another character from Final Fantasy appear in the story. Please let me know what you think of this!**

**Thank you so much for reading and please review! **

**The Fallen Angel 24 x**


	19. Khoi Diem

**Thank you for the reviews and feedback on the last chapter :) - The Royal Cupcake, Yuffentine Lover, Yoshirama, Knock-Out92, XXSilverXTwlightXX, Volixia669, Okami-chin, cloudlover2989 and ChaosAngel4us :)**

**So here's chapter 19. Sorry for the huge delay. I had a pretty intense week and was supposed to update yesterday but our internet was little... odd :/**

**No matter. No matter. **

**Enjoy; Khoi Diem.**

* * *

Khoi Diem

"Do you know where you are?" Genesis asked Yuffie.

Yuffie shook her head.

"You are on Khoi Diem." Genesis said and Yuffie didn't know what to think of the name. It didn't sound familiar to her but the way Genesis pronounced it made it sound unique, native. "It is named after me since I am the founder of this island."

"You discovered this island?" Yuffie asked naively.

"Well, I am didn't _discover_ it. I more of, evolved it into a better land." Genesis admitted.

Yuffie tilted her head. "Evolved? From what I've seen of this island everything looks untouched and wild. Fruit is scarce and there are monsters lurking the island."

"You've been on the unaffected side. Besides, it's not the environment that I have improved. It is the population. I have bred hundreds of Renpau, I have taught them tactic and even language." Genesis said animatedly.

"But… why?" She responded.

"Why not?" Genesis said happily.

"How did you end up on this island? I mean, why didn't you find your way home? Why have you stayed here? How long have you been here?" Yuffie said.

"So many questions but not enough answers. My history is of my own. I have been here for a few years that I will say."

"And this whole time not one other human being has crossed your path!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"There was one. He came onto the island. I suspect he was stranded, much like you and your friends appear to be." Genesis said his voice had turned grim. "I welcomed him to join my forces-"

"Forces?" Yuffie said in confusion.

"My plan of evolution." Genesis said and cursed himself in his head for using that word. "At first he cooperated but, well, he turned against me, wanting to go forth with my plans earlier than I wanted and eventually he was killed by my Renpau." Genesis said.

"What do you mean… plans?"

"My plans of evolution, Yuffie, I have said this." Genesis said with irritation.

"But, what's wrong with him wanting to speed up your plan? It wouldn't have done much harm, right?"

"The Renpau were not ready for what I have planned for them and he was taking over." Genesis said harshly, "I ordered them to kill him and rid him from our plans of development. And they succeeded. However he was not completely gone. His soul remains on the island, waiting to be set free."

"Durin." Genesis said grimly, his voice low and dripping with hatred.

Minutes flew by and Genesis told Yuffie to rest.

Yuffie pretended to sleep under Genesis's watchful eye. The name sounded familiar to her, it was as if she had heard someone speak it before. Her mind wandered through her past trying to pick out the moment she heard it but she had no luck. She opened her eyelid the slightest bit to see she was now alone in the tent.

She quickly scrambled to her feet and ran to the tent door. She peeked through the gap between the materials to see 3 of the primates walking around. They looked like they were on night guard. Yuffie turned quickly and scanned the large tent one last time to see if her pouch of materia was around. She wasn't leaving without it.

After a long thorough search through cushions and under rugs she was certain it was not here. She took the risk and snuck out of the tent when the primates weren't looking. Her feet moved quickly and quietly. One of the primates suddenly turned and nearly caught Yuffie but her reflexes were too quick and she had hidden behind the next tent by then.

She inched herself around the tent until the coast was clear again. She waited for the opportune moment but then a new plan developed in her head. Yuffie ducked and then crawled on her hands and knees quickly around the camp until she was close enough. When the other two monkeys were distracted or not paying attention, she launched herself at the nearby primate.

Her hand was clasped over its mouth and she brought it down behind the tent. She kept her hand tightly on the creatures mouth and her other hand firmly around its neck. Slowly the creature died as Yuffie quietly strangled it. She wasn't usually so violet unless she was defending herself but it didn't count that time. She got up again and peeked out from the side of the tent. She was about to go for the next one but almost as if it were from out of nowhere, an arm shot out and pulled her into the tent.

A soft palm quickly covered her mouth and her back was up against the tent wall. It was dark in the tent and she couldn't see a thing.

"Shhh," A voice shushed.

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she could just make out the figure in front of her. As soon as she saw the goggles on their head she knew who it was. "Reno," She squealed in delight and then pounced onto him. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and pulled him to her. Reno was surprised by Yuffie's affection towards him. After a moment of shock and hesitation he returned the warmth and rested his arms around her back. He chuckled slightly into her hair. Yuffie looked up, "What?" A grin still remained on her face.

"Nothing," Reno shook his head with a smile still on his face and then pulled from the embrace. "You were worried about me?"

Yuffie looked down and fiddled with the hem of her shirt, "A little." She admitted.

Reno then remembered the matter at hand. "Yuffie, we have to get out of here."

"I know, but how?" She said as she peeked out the door of the tent.

"Well, for starters, I don't think we're the only humans here." Reno said as he remembered the man he saw before.

Yuffie then turned to him excitedly, "I met another human too. He's the leader of this place." Yuffie said.

Reno nodded and then looked past her shoulder. "Do you have your materia?"

Yuffie sighed, "No, I was looking for that before you pulled me in here."

"Where's your shuriken?"

Yuffie looked thoughtful for a moment as she remembered dropping it back at the attack. "I accidently dropped it before. I don't know who has it?" She said.

"Alright, first mission – find my rod and your materia." Reno said to himself.

* * *

"Day 7." Barret said, "And still no hope. The stranded survivors continue to struggle against the islands uncivilized lifestyle and continue the dreadful search for their lost friends. Hours seem to fly by while we are hopelessly-"

"Barret." Tifa warned.

"They're lives, scraping by the lifestream,"

"Barret." Tifa warned again.

"No food. No water."

"Barret." Tifa repeated.

"No sign of hope."

"Barret!" Tifa shouted.

Silence crept in soon after Tifa had made Barret shut up. Vincent led the way and was far ahead of everyone else. Cloud and Cid were nearly 20 feet behind him while Barret, Marlene, Elena and Tifa were another few metres behind. They had broken out of the jungle and were currently walking on a rather large grass plain with the odd tree here or there. They could see a border-line made of trees in the distance. Vincent had been eyeing it for a while and had guessed a forest would be their next area of exploration. They had been slowly making their way from the western side of the island to the eastern side. They had seen nearly all of the western side on their own individual adventures and had agreed that it was the uncivilized place on the island.

Vincent suddenly stopped and turned to see he had created a larger than wanted gap between he and the others. He patiently watched Cid and Cloud jog to catch up to him and the others started to pick up their pace to.

"I'm hoping to find Yuffie and Reno by the end of this day." Vincent said as Cloud walked beside him. Cid followed only a metre behind with a cigarette in his mouth.

"I hope so to," Cloud agreed, "Vincent, there's something I need to discuss with you."

"Go right ahead." Vincent insisted.

"People must be starting to realize we're not home yet when we should have been yesterday. If we are given the chance to be rescued or someone finds us. What are you planning to do?" Cloud said.

"Do you mean; will we leave the others here and take the rescue?" Vincent re-phrased.

Cloud nodded, "If we are found and we haven't found everyone yet, what do we do? Will we go and then get help?"

"It would be unwise to dismiss the opportunity. Of course some of us will take it; Marlene, Denzel, Tifa and Elena for example. I however want to continue this search for the others. I won't rest until we have found Yuffie." Vincent said.

"Yes and then Denzel will have the proper medical attention needed." Cloud added. "That's only if we are rescued before the others are found."

"And what about you Cloud?" Vincent said and then looked at his friend.

"Me? Well, I'll stay and look for the others as well." Cloud said.

Vincent nodded and smiled at him.

By now they had reached the forest. They had waited for the others to catch up and Tifa had given Denzel to Cloud since she was getting tired from carrying him.

They walked for nearly an hour through the forest until they reached another open plain. It was completely clear of anything with nothing but grass and patches of dirt.

Cid was lighting another cigarette when he saw his most prized possession fly into his view of the sky. "Well I'll be," He said under his breath to himself. He started to laugh giddily and merrily smiled at everyone. Cloud turned to look at Cid oddly and Vincent raised a brow at his sudden happy behaviour.

"Shera!" Cid suddenly shouted and that's when everyone looked at him in puzzlement. Suddenly they could hear a hard fluttering sound in the air. Tifa turned to see what Cid was so excited about and she too started laughing cheerfully. Everyone quickly looked where they were looking and saw the object of their happiness.

"The Highwind." Vincent said with delight heavily hanging on his words.

"We're saved!" Elena said as she could feel tears form on the corners of her eyes.

They all shouted and waved into the air as the air ship began to land in the plain in front of them.

"About time you got here," Cid said as he ran to Shera who was stepping off the ship.

"Shera!" Tifa said happily and ran to hug her. Shera smiled and then looked at them all. They all looked tired, worn out and germ-infested.

"How long have you all been missing for?" Shera asked in concern.

"7 days, Shera! 7 freaking days!" Cid exclaimed.

"The whole week?" Shera gasped.

"It doesn't matter now," Cloud said, "We're saved."

"Where's everyone else?" Shera questioned as she noticed the low number between them and her eyes widened when she saw the very pale Denzel in Cloud's arms.

"Yuffie and Reno have been separated from us. The others, we do not know." Vincent said.

"Denzel is he…" Shera said just above a whisper.

"He's very ill. He needs medical attention." Tifa said.

"Well, come quickly!" Shera said as she ushered Cloud who was carrying Denzel into the ship. Cid followed and Barret and Marlene walked happily aboard. Elena and Tifa followed seconds after while Vincent stayed outside.

* * *

Cloud lay Denzel down on one of the few beds of the Highwind and then patted his head. "You'll be up and about before you know it, kid." He said.

Shera rushed over to him and placed a wet flannel on his head and tended to the scratches on him.

Cloud left the two knowing he would be good in Shera's hands. He walked through into the next room on the Highwind which was the kitchen. He could see Cid already stuffing his face with food while Marlene sat on a chair drinking water along with Elena. He walked over to Tifa to see her already making a sandwich for Marlene. He then opened a cupboard and pulled out his own glass and filled it with tap water and started to drink it.

After Tifa had given Marlene her sandwich she noticed Vincent was missing. She walked through the airship to see him through a window, still standing outside.

"Vincent," Tifa's fair voice said as she walked out of the airship. "Come inside, Shera has some food and there's plenty of water to drink."

"Yuffie is still out there." Vincent said.

Tifa's head dropped a little. "Vincent, you need to eat something. We haven't had a proper meal in days."

Vincent looked thoughtful for a while and then followed her inside to see everyone eating and drinking. He opened the fridge and took 2 apples out and started munching away on them.

Shera came rushing through and started to gather food, "No worries, I'll cook up a good homemade meal in no time." She said and started cutting up vegetables.

Tifa stood and walked back through to the room where Denzel was. She sat on the chair next to the pull out bed he was lying on. She wiped his face with the flannel and then ran her fingers through his messy hair. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the temple of his head. Tifa watched him rest for a while until she noticed red finger marks on his neck. She leaned in and examined them closely. How had he got this?

She heard a door behind her shut and she turned to see Cloud walk in. "He'll be fine." He said as he walked over to the bed. He stood beside Tifa and looked down at the young boy.

"I know. But I can't help but worry about him." Tifa said.

They both looked at him in silence and then Cloud had to say something that was on his mind. "Tifa,"

"Yes, Cloud?"

"I'm not going with you." He said.

"What? Why not? You want to stay on this island?" Tifa said surprisingly.

"I know Vincent isn't going to rest until Yuffie is found. He's gotten quite attached to her I've noticed." Cloud said, "I don't want to go home knowing our friends are still struggling on this island."

Tifa knew arguing with him would be pointless. When Cloud's made his mind up, Cloud's made his mind up. She sighed. "Be careful." She said, "And look after yourself, okay?"

"Of course." He said.

His gaze then landed on Tifa and he could see her brown eyes focused on his neck. He followed their stare to see she had noticed the markings. He didn't know whether to tell her or not. He felt like he should.

"Tifa," Cloud said softly, "Those marks on his neck… they were caused by someone strangling him." He said with difficulty.

"What?" She said with a murmur as she looked up at Cloud.

"Those red marks, they were caused by-"

"No I heard you." She said firmly. She looked back at the marks and realized Cloud was right. How did he know though, and she didn't? "How long have you known this?" Her voice sounded cold.

Cloud's body stiffened. "A while."

Tifa looked up at him with anger in her eyes, "And you didn't tell me?"

Cloud opened his mouth but no words came out, he didn't like it when Tifa got angry, especially at him.

"You kept this to yourself?" Her voice was rising.

"Well, no, Vincent and Barret-"

"Vincent and Barret!" She shouted and stood up whilst knocking the chair she was sitting on back. "You told Vincent and Barret but you didn't tell me!"

"No, it's not like that... I- I… I just didn't- I didn't want to upset you, that's all." Cloud stuttered out of his mouth.

"You didn't think I had the right to know that he was strangled to death!" Tifa screamed at him.

Cloud stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders to try calming her down. He could already see her eyes starting to tear up. "No," She said harshly as she pushed him away from her. But it wasn't enough to stop Cloud and he reached for her again. "No," She screamed and tears ran down her cheeks. "All this time you knew, and you never told me!" Tifa said.

Cloud's grip on shoulder tightened. "Tifa," He said softly, "Please, calm down."

"No!" She screamed again and pushed herself away from him.

Suddenly the doors to the room were flying open and Barret came running in. "What is it? What's the matter!" He said frantically as he could see Tifa crying.

"He's the matter!" Her voice was broken from tears as she pointed at Cloud.

Cloud's heart just broke into pieces as he heard and saw Tifa shout in disgust about him. She was right. He should have told her. But he was just trying to protect her, and like always, he failed. He failed again, at protecting someone he loved.

Barret gave Cloud a knowing look as he cradled a crying Tifa in his arms. Cloud nodded and left the room silently.

* * *

"What happened?" Elena said as he walked through the kitchen. "I could hear Tifa crying and shouting."

"It's okay." Cloud said, "She's just upset."

Elena still looked concerned but decided it wasn't her business to get involved in. She left the room with Marlene. Cid leaned on the kitchen bench.

"What was that about?" He said.

Cloud sat down on a chair. "She's angry at me." He said.

"She doesn't sound angry." Cid said, "She sounds furious."

"Thanks."

"No problem, buddy." Cid said and then took a seat next to him. "But really, what's happening?"

"Denzel has marks on his neck because he was strangled. I knew but never told her. She just found out." Cloud said.

"Denzel, strangled? Who did that to him?" Cid said as he took a sip out of the soup Shera had whipped up for them.

"I don't know." Cloud said.

Cid could see Cloud wasn't in the mood for talking so he picked up his soup and left.

Cloud sighed and ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

"What is wrong with me?" He asked himself.

_Nothing's wrong with you. _A familiar female voice said in his head followed by a familiar feminine giggle.

He smiled to himself. He missed her so much. If only she was really there, talking to him. At times like this, when he didn't have Tifa, he needed her.

* * *

**Just so everyone knows. I'm a CloTi fan. Hopefully that answers any questions floating in your minds haha :)**

**Thanks for reading and please do review!**

**The Fallen Angel24 xxx**


	20. School Field Trip

**Thank you for your reviews! **

**Volixia669, cloudlover2989, The Royal Cupcake, ChaosAngel4us, XXSilverXTwilightXX, YuffentineLover and XxVioletxX :) You're reviews are what's keeping me going.**

**Here's the big Two O! I've been looking forward to uploading chapter 20.**

**Here's; School Field Trip**

* * *

School Field Trip

Cloud stood outside the Highwind. His blonde spikes being pushed around by the strong wind that came from the Highwind's propellers. Next to him stood Vincent who was currently speaking to a member of the rescue team. The rescue team's uniform consisted of bright orange that blinded Cloud who had highly insisted he didn't have to wear it, along with Vincent. Vincent finished explaining details to the man and he left to discuss with the rest of his team. Shera had them sent down to help Vincent and Cloud look for the others.

Barret, Marlene, Denzel, Cid, Shera, Tifa and Elena had all decided to take the Highwind home. Barret had wanted to help out but he had to return to Corel and tend to his mayor duties. Shera had explained to him that a lot of rumours had been spread about his absence. Cid was eager to stay and help Cloud and Vincent but Shera had demanded he go home and get a proper rest. They had gone through a long argument that unfortunately Cloud, Barret and Vincent had to witness. Tifa was to go with Denzel to the hospital and take care of him and Elena had to inform Rufus of the Turks current disappearance.

"What do you think?" Vincent said to Cloud, his long black hair drifting in the wind.

"Of the search crew?" Cloud added to his question.

Vincent nodded.

Cloud's mako eyes scanned each member and then tilted his head upwards slightly, "I think their more of a burden than help."

"Volunteers from Junon. No fighting experience." Vincent said.

"Should we warn them of the dangers on this island?" Cloud turned to Vincent.

A grim smile appeared on Vincent's stone face, "We'll let them find out. They'll be good entertainment."

Cloud smiled and laughed silently.

Another man in orange came running up to them. "Here are travel packs. Each member must have one at all times."

"Why do we need these?" Cloud said as he took the small bag and held it in the air in front him and looked at it curiously.

"They are filled with survival refreshments." The man explained.

"Survival refreshments?" Vincent said.

"Yes, survival refreshments. Each travel pack contains a walkie talkie, a nutrition bar, a water bottle filled with clean water, pepper spray, first aid equipment such as bandaids and ointment and rope and a small packet of raisins and some trustful volunteers have been given a pocketknife."

Cloud looked into his bag and then up at the volunteer in front of him, "I wasn't given a pocketknife?"

The man looked at him and then without a word he turned and walked away.

"Oh, it's alright… I have a sword anyway." Cloud said loudly to the man as he walked away. "Bastards." He muttered under his breath as he shuffled through the travel pack.

Cid came walking out, "Alright, you two better watch after your selves."

"You needn't worry." Vincent said.

"We'll be fine." Cloud said.

"So this search team that Shera gathered-" Cid started

"Volunteers?" Cloud finished for him.

"Amateurs?" Vincent added.

Cid laughed for a while. "Anyway, good luck. I'm taking off with the Highwind in 20 minutes."

"Alright." Vincent said. He looked back over to the volunteers who were polishing their boots and tying them up by the laces.

* * *

"I am not looking forward to telling Rufus about Reno, Rude and Tseng." Elena said.

She was currently sitting on a chair next to Tifa by Denzel's bed. Tifa hadn't left his side ever since Cloud had placed him there. Elena had spent nearly all night with her. A nurse from Junon had also come and treated Denzel with a revival.

"I'm sure he'll understand. Doesn't he have a soft spot for you anyway?" Tifa said as she looked at Elena.

She sighed, "He used to, but he's been different lately."

"Different?"

"He's been so occupied lately. I suppose he's planning something big." Elena said while she stared out the window of the Highwind in the thought.

"Planning… something big?" Tifa said with a risen brow. "Elena, what's he planning?"

"He's trying to re-build Shinra."

"Re-build Shinra?" Tifa repeated with wide eyes.

"Don't worry; he's been trying for the last 4 years. He hasn't gotten anywhere." Elena said.

"Don't tell anyone I told you that," Elena said.

Tifa smiled, "No I won't."

"No one."

"No one." Tifa smiled at her.

"Seriously promise me otherwise I'll lose my job." Elena said sternly.

"I promise."

"On your life?" Elena added.

Tifa laughed, "Yes on my life."

They both turned when they heard a door behind them shut.

It was Cloud.

Elena quickly took the cue and stood up from her chair and awkwardly walked out, knowing that it wasn't her business.

Tifa turned back and looked at Denzel. She could hear the footsteps approaching her. Knock, knock, knock on the Highwind's hollow floor. The knocking finally came to a stop when she felt a caring atmosphere warm her.

Cloud cleared his throat, "Vincent and I are staying to search for the others with the search team from Junon." His voice and face was stone and serious. No emotion was shown on.

Tifa kept her eyesight on the sleeping Denzel.

"How is he?" Cloud said. His voice had changed to a more concerned tone. After a long period of silence he finally spoke up again, "Teef," He sighed, "Please talk to me. Did the nurse from Junon help?"

Minutes passed and Tifa's reluctance to speak was getting on Cloud's edge. He knew Cid would be leaving soon and he did want Tifa to leave while she was in a bad mood with him.

"Tifa." He said again.

Finally. She nodded.

"Did the revive work?" Cloud asked.

She didn't answer again. Cloud sighed and sat down on the chair Elena was previously sitting on. His knee knocked against hers as he pulled it closer and Tifa moved slightly away.

"Teef, I'm going soon and I don't know when I'm gonna see you next. I don't want to leave things like this." He said. His blue eyes looked at her and pleaded at her to look back at him.

But she didn't…

He saw a tear roll down her cheek. "Hey," He said softly and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Another tear. And sooner than later she began crying. She shook her head as tears fell from her brown eyes and then rested her forehead on the side of Denzel's bed in front of her. Cloud moved closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and rubbed her back. She calmed down quickly and then finally looked up at Cloud.

"What are you saying Cloud?" Her voice mumbled.

"I don't want to leave things like this." Cloud said.

"Why not?" She wiped her eyes free of tears.

"Because I don't know how long it will be until I see you again." Cloud said.

"Or _if_ you'll ever see me again." Tifa said and a stray tear fell from her eye again.

A small smile flashed on his face, "Are you worried about me?" He said and she hit him on the shoulder and a chuckle escaped his lips.

"You're a jerk!" She said and wiped her eyes with her hand again.

The smile remained on his face. "Forgive me?" He asked.

"No." She shot back immediately.

"_But_ do you still hate me?" Cloud pushed.

"No." She said softer. "I could never hate you, Cloud."

"No one could." He added.

She smiled at him, "And that's why." She said referring to his playful attitude; an attitude that he never used around anyone but Tifa.

Then her smile disappeared and she looked back at Denzel, "The nurse from Junon gave Denzel the revive. He didn't wake up but his pulse rate increased. She said after proper treatment at a hospital he should wake up." She said.

Cloud nodded understandingly. He looked at the sleeping Denzel and put a hand on his knee, "Told you he'd be fine."

Tifa smiled at him. "Look after yourself out there."

"Of course." He said.

"Is it just you and Vincent?" She asked.

"Shera also had a search crew sent down." He said.

"How are they?" She tilted her head.

"They're volunteers from Junon with no fighting experience and are protecting themselves with pocketknives and pepper spray." He said in a happy-go-lucky tone.

She laughed. "You have fun with that."

"_Yeah_." He said gradually.

* * *

Vincent and Cloud waved at the Highwind as they watched it fly into the sky and off into the distance until it became a small dot in their view.

"Hello everyone." A man from the search team said. The entire crew had gathered together while Vincent and Cloud stood at the back. "My name is Edward and I am the man in charge of this search. If you have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to ask myself or my assistant Leo." He pointed to a man beside him. "Thank you. Now our search will commence in 5 minutes. Please prepare and make sure you all have your travel pack with you." He said.

Cloud studied Edward from head to toe. He was a slightly overweight man with blonde shaggy hair and grey eyes. He had a scruffy face and bushy eyebrows. His facial structure somewhat resembled Cid's. Straight away he could tell that Edward was taking his leadership role very seriously. He then looked at Leo, next to him who was a very thin man. His skin was a golden brown and he had dark hair and thin dark eyebrows to match. His eyes were a breathtaking blue, however. They stood out on his face. He appeared to be a shy man since he had blushed from embarrassment when Edward had mentioned his name. Cloud just hoped that they could defend themselves against the beasts that were on this island.

He turned to Vincent to see he wasn't very impressed with the men who would accompany them. "Family men." Vincent said, "Farmers, fathers, people who won't survive on this island."

"Who knows, they may surprise us." Cloud said as he turned back to look at the men.

Vincent sighed and picked up his travel pack and Cloud copied.

"Everyone please make sure that all your walkie talkies are on." Edward said and then held a bright red flag into the air. "When this red flag is raised you must all quieten down and listen to myself or Leo." He explained.

"What is this? A school field trip?" Cloud muttered.

Edward began leading the team along the beach and Cloud and Vincent tagged along at the back. They walked along the beach for nearly 30 minutes until Edward decided to turn and they entered a clear forest. Cloud looked up into the blue sky and he could see smoke in the air. He wondered whether it was coming from a bonfire or what. Another few minutes and the reason for all the smoke came into view. A volcano's top was seen in the distance and Cloud had to admit he was surprise he had missed it. Then again, he had been on the complete other side of the island. White flakes of ash rained from the sky as they walked closer to the volcano. The temperature rising every minute.

His boots would snap twigs on the ground as they walked deeper into the forest. There were dry leaves on the ground that would crunch under every step. Cloud sighed as he started to feel bored. The search teams company wasn't the best company he ever had. He and Vincent had been walking at the back so they had been watching the crew's movements. The men were very cautious and many weren't as fit as Cloud and Vincent. Few of them would struggle to simply climb over a fallen log or to walk down a steep hill. Some of them would even sit down and slide themselves slowly down the hill like a dog with worms which Cloud just found berserk since he and Vincent easily walked down it.

Cloud looked at the volcano ahead of them in interest. Edward led them to the mouth of a cave in the volcano and Vincent peered inside to the dark depths.

Edward signalled everyone to stop by raising his bright red flag into the air. "Okay, we are going to go through this volcano and take a break in an hour. Are there any questions?"

A man raised his hand.

"Yes?" Edward said.

"Why are we going through the volcano? Is there a safer route?"

"I'm afraid not." Edward said, "The surroundings are too thick to get by. Any more questions?"

Another man raised his hand.

"Yes?" Edward said.

"What creatures should we expect to encounter? Anything dangerous?"

"Hopefully not. But do have your pepper spray in reach just to be safe." Edward said.

Vincent huffed while Cloud chuckled lightly.

"Is there something you two men find funny?" Edward said as he saw Cloud and Vincent at the back of the group snickering.

Everyone turned to look at them. It was like they were the two bad kids on a school field trip.

"Not at all." Vincent said.

"We understand you have had some experience on this island but that does not mean you need to underestimate the dangers lurking about." Edward said.

Cloud felt a bit annoyed at that last remark by Edward. He and Vincent were definitely not the ones underestimating the dangers on the island.

Edward signalled everyone to follow him and they entered the lava tube. The very same lava tube that Tseng had ventured through just a few days ago. A flashlight led the way from Edwards hand at the front as he guided them through the shadows.

After a while the darkness was overpowering and everyone had to use their flashlights. Cloud sighed feeling like they were taking too long. Everyone was walking at a snail's pace and he and Vincent were still worried about their friend's survival.

* * *

"Got everything?" Reno whispered to Yuffie as they collected their weapons in a tent. It had been a long search for both of them. It truly tested their stealth as they avoided the apes and had to check nearly every tent. They were in the fifth tent now and had found their weapons lying on the floor and Yuffie's materia was in a basket. They picked it all up and slowly snuck out of the tent.

They watched an ape pass and then sprinted for their lives out of the tent and away from the others. After minutes of stopping and running and hiding they had left the village unharmed. They ran through the surrounding jungle for another 15 minutes to create some distance between them and the natives. The long and exhausting run had left them huffing and puffing.

"Rest now?" Yuffie breathed.

Reno nodded eagerly and sat down on the ground while Yuffie leant against a tree.

It was quiet around them except for their own heavy breathing. Their escape had been a lot easier than they had expected. Too easy in fact. Yuffie didn't let her mind dwell on it and instead thanked the lord that she had her materia back. She shuffled through it to see that she was missing one.

"Damn, I left my Knights of The Round behind." Yuffie said with frustration.

"I'm not going back." Reno said, "Getting out of there a second time may not be as easy."

Yuffie knew he was right but she wanted her Knights of The Round. She stood up and attached her materia pouch to her belt. "Wait here." She said.

"What? No." Reno said in surprise. "Yuffie, I'm not going back."

"That's why I said 'wait here' I'm gonna go back by myself."

"Don't be stupid." Reno said.

"What would be stupid is to leave them with some rare materia. I'm not going to walk away knowing that Knights of The Round is in my reach." Yuffie said and then turned as she began walking.

"Yuffie." Reno said. "What if you get caught?"

She ignored him and continued walking and soon her walk turned into a jog. She stopped by the bushes on the outskirts of the village and could see the place seemed empty. Where were they all? Now she just felt like she was walking into a trap. Maybe Reno was right… She decided to forget about it and put her safety first for once. She stood up from where she was crouching and then turned around to meet the eyes of a Demon. She gasped and stepped back into the bush at the shock. She hadn't even heard it sneak up on her, her mind had been too focused on the materia. She recognized a feeling of fear as she remembered what happened with her last encounter with a demon.

_[Memory]_

_A sudden and unexpected jab went straight through her body and her eyes shot open immediately. She screamed as the pain quickly travelled through her body making her toes curl. Next to her Elena shook and then launched her body at the Demon to get away from Yuffie. The claws slipped out of her body but didn't help the pain at all. If anything it intensified. She looked down to see blood running down her clothes but it was almost as if her body was paralysed from pain. Her head was going into frenzy and she could feel the cold sweat on her forehead. Her energy was quickly abandoning her and she was getting more and more lightheaded. _

_She could see Reno and Vincent running towards her in her blurry vision. She shut her eyes for a few seconds trying to relax her body but it was impossible. She opened them again and saw Vincent kneeled in front of her. His finger was under her chin and raising her weary head to look at him. His crimson eyes brought some comfort to her but it wasn't distracting her enough from the pain she was feeling. She felt his thumb gently stroke her cheek and then she closed her eyes feeling safe. _

_Her eyes opened immediately as she felt Vincent shuffling through her materia pouch that was on her lap. He pulled out two green materia and threw them to Elena and Reno. She felt a sudden pressure on her wounds and saw Vincent trying to stop the bleeding. She heard him say something but she couldn't understand properly. Her hearing was in an awful state at the moment. Vincent threw Yuffie materia at Reno and then continued to push down on her abdomen trying to stop the blood. The pain was beginning to become unbearable for Yuffie and she closed her eyes in defeat. She tried to be strong but she couldn't hold it anymore. _

_Suddenly she a warm tingling feeling shoot through her body and energy seemed to stream through her veins. She opened her eyes and even though she was feeling healthier she was still incredibly tired._

_She heard Reno say something and then repeat it._

"_Yuffie, you okay?"_

"You okay?"

She opened her heavy eyes to see Reno looking over her. "What?" She said above her breath as she sat up but immediately felt a pain in her head. "Ah," She hissed and reached for the side of her forehead.

"Careful." Reno said and then looked at her sternly. "What's wrong with you?"

Yuffie looked at him with a hurt expression, "I don't know, I must have fallen unconscious or something."

"No." Reno shook his head, "Not that. I mean, why the hell did you come back here? You're just getting us into more trouble."

Yuffie rolled her eyes then they widened as she saw the dead Demon not far from her. "What happened?"

"Well I decided to follow you so you didn't do anything stupid. I saw the Demon hit you hard on the head and you fell unconscious, I guess. I stepped in and stopped it from killing you." Reno said.

Yuffie looked at Reno gratefully. "Thank you, Reno. I could've died if you hadn't followed me."

"We have to stick together." Reno said and flashed a smile. Yuffie smiled back at him. Despite Reno is a Turk and that they had been enemies since she could ever remember, she felt she could trust him. He had followed her for her safety when he could have just walked off to save himself. Maybe she was wrong about Reno. Maybe there was more to him that she never even considered.

She smiled again and then stood up with the help of Reno.

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter felt a bit slow and boring. I'm suffering an awful writers block D: If you have any ideas; feel free to let me know. I have the next few chapters planned but I need some more little filler chapters otherwise I feel the story is going to "quick." And I personally hate reading stories when two people meet in chapter 1 and are married by chapter 8... It just goes to fast and I'm trying to avoid that.**

**Thank you for reading! Please review! I feel like I'm only writing this for 7 people when I know that's not true. **

**Fallen Angel 24 xx**


	21. Stroke Of Fear

**+ Important Note: Hey guys! Just a really quick shoutout to Ohjay's story "Pain and Happiness." I really think you should check it out :) It's a CloTi and Zerith story and it may be just what you're looking for ;) +**

* * *

**Thanks for all the positive and helpful reviews in the last chapter, you guys :) Thank you Yuffentine, Helliebabe, Holly-Batali, Wingedswordyunagi, Knock-Out92, XXSilverXTwilightXX, The Royal Cupcake, ChaosAngel4us and sapphirewind. **

**I personally don't really like this chapter. Something felt wrong while I was writing it :/ Oh well haha.**

**Enjoy chapter 21; Stroke of Fear**

* * *

Stroke of Fear

"It's good to see your well." An assistant said to Barret as he left the Mayor of Corel's office.

Barret nodded a thank you to one of his assistants and watched the door close. He looked at the motivational poster next to the door that he had looked upon a thousand times before.

"In all things it is better to hope than to despair"

He had read it so many times now that its meaning had become nothing to him. He sighed and looked at the paperwork in front of him. He read the first line of one of them and then looked up again at the door, then the poster, then the phone next to him. He looked back down and wrote a few words down and then looked up at the door, the poster and then the phone next to him again. He read more off the sheet of paper in front of him and then wrote something down. Then he did the same thing; he looked up at the door, then the poster and then the phone. He wrote something else and looked up at everything again. And then again. Then one more time but this time, his eyes lingered on the phone beside him.

He sighed and went back to his paperwork. A few minutes passed and he looked up again. He looked at the photo frame on his desk beside him. It was a nice photo frame that Tifa had bought him one Christmas day and she had put a photo in it. Oh her, Cloud, Marlene and Barret. Barret was on the side with Marlene on his shoulder laughing and Cloud stood next to him with a subtle smile while Tifa had the largest grin on her face and her head tilted to the side slightly. The four of them was at the front of their holiday residence in Costa del Sol. He could remember that hot summer day and how Tifa was teaching Marlene how to swim while he was trying to get Cloud to go underwater – he hadn't wanted to get his hair wet that day. He chuckled to himself at the memories. He missed those days. Ever since Meteor had hit, everything had changed. Their friendships and bonds were still as strong as anything. But they never did anything like that together anymore. He made a mental note in his head to get everyone together and go to the beach in Costa del Sol.

He went back to writing and once again, he looked up at the door, then the motivational poster and then the phone. He was waiting for someone to come in and tell him that his friends were found and safe or for someone to ring and say that Denzel had finally woken up.

He went back to his paperwork and then finally the door opened. He looked up to see a person from the office walk in. She held a basket filled with soaps, candles and flowers. "It's good to see you're back and healthy Mr. Wallace." She said and then placed the gift basket on his desk.

"Thank you, Violet." He said to the lady with short blonde hair and big blue eyes.

"From the office, sir." She said referring to the gift basket.

He smiled and at her and nodded, "Tell them thank you."

"Will do Mr. Wallace." She said and Barret went back to writing but Violet stayed standing in front of his desk.

"Yes, Violet?" he said as he looked up to her.

"Oh sorry sir, I was just looking at that picture behind you on the wall." She said sheepishly.

He turned in his office chair and looked up at the photo of him and Marlene. They were in Tifa's bar. Barret was holding a drink in the air with a merry smile and Marlene was on his lap laughing. He laughed, "Yes that was a good night."

"Looks like it was." She agreed with a smile on her face. "Is that Marlene on your lap?" Violet asked.

"Yes, she's only young there." He said. Violet was only a new employee at the office. She had seen Marlene a few times but not many.

"She looks adorable." She said with a warm smile.

"Yes she does." Barret said and then wrote something down trying to hint to Violet to leave.

"Sir." She said.

Barret looked up and smiled at her, "Yes Violet?"

"I was wondering what are you doing tonight?" She said nervously.

Barret's heart stopped for a moment and then restarted. Was one of his assistants about to ask him to dinner? He opened his mouth and was about to say something but then another office worker came through the door.

"Mr. Wallace, Travis Daniels is here, for that interview you were supposed to have two days ago." He said.

Violet looked at them both and then nodded to Barret and the other employee and then left without a word.

"Is everything okay, sir?" The man said.

"Phewf," Barret said, "Just dodged a huge bullet there."

The man looked at him confusingly.

"Alright, send in Daniels." Barret said and the man left to go get the business man.

* * *

"Tifa Lockheart?" The nurse said as she walked into the waiting room of the hospital.

"Yes?" Tifa said as she shut the magazine she was reading. She stood up and walked to the woman who smiled at her. "How is he?"

"He's doing well. He should wake up soon. He's in room 218 if you'd like to see him."

"Thank you so much." She said happily and then walked through the hospital looking for room 218.

At the next turn of a corner she had finally found it. She walked through the door to see Denzel asleep on the bed. The colour in his face had returned and he was looking healthier again. She smiled and was incredibly thankful that he was well again. She sat down in the chair next to the bed and petted his head. He let out a small groan and stirred a little in the bed. Lastly those blue eyes opened and looked at her. A small smile appeared on his face.

Tifa smiled at him and could feel a few tears of happiness start to form in her eyes. She leant forward and hugged him tightly. He let out a few coughs and then Tifa let him go and he shuffled in the bed.

"Tifa," He said, his voice was gravelly and gruff.

"I'm here," She said happily. He began coughing again and so Tifa got him a glass of water. He drank it down thirstily and then finally spoke again.

"Am I in hospital?" Denzel said as he looked at the room of white around him.

"Yeah." Tifa said and intently watched his facial expressions. "Do you remember what happened?"

He looked up at her and had a thoughtful expression. He looked troubled for a moment and then said, "I don't remember a thing."

Tifa nodded understandingly, "It's okay, that's not too important right now. Just relax and get as much rest as you can."

Denzel nodded and lay his head back down in the pillow. A nurse came in soon after.

"Sorry to interrupt but is everything okay here?" She asked.

"Nearly everything." Tifa said happily, "He seems to have forgotten what happened to him."

The nurse looked at him, "You don't remember anything at all?"

"The last thing I remember is walking out of this cave." Denzel said.

The nurse nodded, "That's normal to forget a little bit. After a few days or weeks you may remember." She said and before she walked out the door she said, "If you need anything, just give me a buzz."

"Sure will." Tifa said and then turned her attention back to Denzel. "So you were in a cave?"

Denzel nodded. "In a volcano, with Red, Cait Sith, Rude and Tseng."

Tifa's eyes widened and a wave of relief washed through her. "Their alive." She smiled to herself.

"Tifa," Denzel said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"How did I end up here?" He said.

She realized how confused he must have been. He had just been walking through a volcano on a stranded island and now he was home in hospital. "Well, we found you unconscious." Tifa started, "I don't know how you got there." There she said her words gradually.

"How did we get off the island?" Denzel said.

"Shera found us. You were unconscious for a long time Denzel. 3 days I think." Tifa explained.

His eyes widened, "Whoa." He said. "Did I break a record?"

Tifa laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Wait, where's Cloud!" He said with realization.

"He's still on the island." Tifa said. "Not all of us are back yet. Only you, me, Marlene and Barret and Cid." She said. "Vincent and Cloud are still on the island searching for the others who you said were alive."

Denzel nodded. "So Yuffie and Reno are still missing too?"

"They were with us but we were attacked by some island natives. We got split up from them." Tifa said.

"So everyone's alive?" Denzel said optimistically.

"Hopefully." She said.

Denzel lay back down and then raised his hand to rub the side of his neck that was in pain. "What happened to my neck?" He asked as he could feel bruises.

"You were…" Tifa said with difficulty. "Strangled." She choked out.

"What? But who?" Denzel said in confusion.

"No one knows." Tifa said, "But you."

"But I can't-"

"Remember," She finished for him, "its okay. No pressure at all Denzel."

He sighed. "I want to talk to Cloud."

Tifa looked at him sadly. "He's still looking for the others."

His voice was wobbly now suggesting he was going to cry. "I don't want him to be there anymore. It's not safe."

Tifa put a hand over his. "Don't worry, you know Cloud. He'll be fine."

"No." he shook his head and his voice was breaking.

Tifa sighed feeling hurt. She didn't know what to say. She needed Cloud at the moment. He had a special bond with Denzel. Nothing compared to what Tifa had with Denzel.

"I'll try and contact him" She said.

* * *

Cloud sighed as Edward and Leo drew notes and scribbled diagrams down a piece of paper as they leant against the cave walls. They had been travelling through the volcano for nearly 3 hours now and had gotten lost. Edward turned and pointed the direction they had just come from and mumbled something to Leo and then Leo wrote it down. He pulled out a compass walked around in a space for a moment and then whispered another thing to Leo. Once again, Leo scribbled it down.

"This is a waste of time." Vincent said into Cloud's ear as they stood, bored, in the centre of the dark tunnel they were currently in. A flashlight dangling off a string that was twirled around Vincent's finger.

Cloud nodded as he stared into space; boredom screaming from his stone features. His mako eyes scanned the people around him. Many of the men were sitting down in groups and talking amongst eachother. Cloud's ear began listening to the conversation just behind him and Vincent.

"What do you think?" A man said. "Should we be worried?"

"Ya reckon we're lost?" Another voice spoke up.

"What if we never get out? What if we're stuck in this volcano forever and it erupts and we die?" A frantic voice harshly whispered.

"Nah, Eddie won't let that happen." The first man replied.

A piece of the roof above them that was made of stone crumbled. Pieces of rock and dust fell to the ground.

"See. The volcanoes gonna erupt." The frantic voice said.

"We're gonna die!" Another voice spoke.

Suddenly a loud and booming thud that echoed through the tunnels was heard. Everyone except Cloud and Vincent jumped and looked down the tunnel with wide eyes, wondering what had made the loud boom. Abruptly a wave of murmurs followed it from the worried men and Edward and Leo had started to make quick conversation in the distance.

Edward had walked to the front of all the men while Leo continued drawing and dotting down notes. "Everyone please calm down. Do not fill your minds with worries. Just to be safe though, please make sure your pepper spray is in reach."

Cloud rolled his eyes at the mention of pepper spray again. He was getting tired of it. Leo then came running to Edwards's side and whispered into his ear. "Okay everyone," Edwards shouted, "Let's continue."

Everyone continued walking and walking. They had all stopped together on cue when they had heard another loud noise behind them, down the tunnel. Only this time; louder. More minutes passed and the same noise repeated but even louder this time. Edward had been constantly reassuring everyone that it was just the volcano making "natural" noises but Cloud knew it was something a lot more dangerous. And he knew it was coming closer. His hand fingered the handle of his sword every now and then, like he always naturally did when he was in an alert mood. He could see Vincent doing the same with his gun every so often.

Edward had led them to another split. 2 tunnels branched off into two completely different ways. Without hesitation Edward decided to go left. Cloud didn't know if he knew or was just guessing or going by instinct but he wasn't too sure they were going the right way.

Next thing Cloud knew, the cave wall beside him was cracking as another loud boom and roar was heard. Cloud knew it was close now. He could hear it loud and clear.

Vincent could see the silhouette in the shadows of something huge. As it came closer and closer the men surrounding him – minus Cloud – were all panicking. Men were shuffling through their travel packs and frantically twisting the caps off their pepper sprays while others just stood frozen in fear. Finally the being was revealed by the light of Edwards's flashlight as he stood there jaw wide open. His heart was racing faster than it ever had been before.

The creature took a similar appearance as the summon Ifrit. Its muscular brown body was topped with long sharp and arched horns and at the ends of its burly arms were claws that could slice through bricks in one swipe. The only difference it had to the summon Ifrit was that it was larger in size and didn't possess the element fire. It looked like it was going to attack in physical combat.

Vincent and Cloud both exchanged looks. Vincent pulled out his favourite weapon for this occasion – The Death Penalty. His fingers settled into the guns grip while Cloud swung the Buster sword in front of him. Edward's voice was heard behind the two; he was stuttering and urging people to be careful and cautious.

"Finally." Vincent said.

A small smirk lit up on Cloud's face; "I've been waiting for this." He said grimly.

Cloud started off and sprung forward at the beast and slashed at its large arm that was nearly the size of Cloud. He cut deeply into its flesh while Vincent stepped forward and shot the beast in various areas. It roared and then lifted its right arm and swung it down at Vincent but Vincent easily rolled away.

A member from the search crew was feeling bold and ran to help. He stood next to Cloud and threw rocks from the ground of the cave at the monster. It didn't do much but it gave Vincent the time to get back into a fighting combat mode. More of the volunteers were feeling bold and a few more advanced. The creature roared again and raised its arm and swung it down to throw 5 of them into the cave wall leaving 4 of them unconscious and the 5th one brutally injured.

Cloud swung his sword forward again and went for its torso. The monster dodged it – _just_, and then kicked Cloud like he was a loose piece of gravel. He hit the tunnel ground like a ragdoll. Edward and Leo quickly rushed to him but Cloud was already recovering. He pushed himself off the ground but was still a bit dizzy from hitting his head on the ground and being thrown. His head spun for several seconds and his blurry vision quickly disappeared and he could see Vincent fighting off the monster with two volunteers a few feet behind him throwing objects and one even punched it in the knee… Which gave the Junon resident a broken hand.

"Bloody bastard." Cloud muttered under his breath as he limped over to get the Buster Sword he had accidently let go off while he was bouncing across the hard tunnel floor. He picked it up and looked back to see one last volunteer scared for his life hiding and Edward and Leo rushing over to him.

"Are you okay, Mr. Strife?" Edward hysterically spat out.

"I'm good. Just a bit of a toss." He said, his Nibelhiem accent really emphasized in his words.

"What can we do?" Leo shouted in his face and accidently spat on him.

Cloud was taken aback from Leo's words and sputter. "Help them." He said and pointed towards the unconscious and wounded volunteers.

Another roar was heard from the monster and Cloud looked over there immediately. He could see the volunteer with a broken hand running for his life and the other one was on the floor. Vincent was by himself. The monster swung its arm and slammed Vincent into the wall. His body slid down the wall and fell to the ground - limp. Cloud quickly ran to his side and could see he was battling from going unconscious.

"Hang in there, Vincent." Cloud said and petted his shoulder before running to the monster. He let out a cry as he slashed at it. He pushed his feet off the ground and jumped onto it and then ran his blade through its lower neck and then jumped off before he was thrown away. He turned to see claws coming down at him and he stumbled back to dodge them. He only _just_ missed them.

Vincent then recovered and was standing again. He slashed at the monster with his golden arm but then received a punch in the face. Anger quickly built up inside of him. He went forward to slash it again with his claw but was knocked back by its body.

Edward was feeling courageous now and joined in. He jumped forward but almost immediately as he reached the creature he was knocked back onto the floor. In the process he had also dropped the flashlight and now it was completely dark in the tunnel. No one could see a thing but darkness.

This made things harder. Cloud stood for a while trying to sense where the monster was by the quivering of the tunnel floors. He could feel it close so he just hoped for the best and stabbed his sword forward. He was glad to feel it go through flesh and not just air but he wasn't sure if he had stabbed the monster or had accidently stabbed Vincent or Edward. He was relieved to hear the monster cry out in pain so he knew he hadn't just killed his friend.

Vincent stood up and now was on the edge of exploding. He could feel a transformation coming over him. A familiar feeling of hatred and fury washed through him and he let it. He stood there letting the unnatural cells in his body connect and then let the transformation take place. Red wings the colour of blood dripping from a dead man's body spread out and a screech was heard.

Cloud knew where that screech had come from and felt more confident knowing that Vincent had just transformed into the Chaos Beast. Edward crawled on the ground feeling for his flashlight and finally found it. He switched it on and went wide eyed when he saw what had become of Vincent. His hand violently shook in fear as he watched the Beast charge at its foe.

Cloud stepped back letting Vincent finish it off and then turned away to save himself the gruesome sight of what Chaos was about to do. However his eye caught Edward staring horrified at the violent murder. He glanced back to see if Chaos was dominating but instead he saw a large hand knock him into the tunnel wall behind him. Darkness quickly took over and his body went unresponsive.

_[Memory/Dream]_

"_Yes?" Tifa repeated for about the 3__rd__ time. She folded her arms as she began to grow impatient of Cloud's lack of social skills. He never really had talked to her and when he did he was very brief. She couldn't really call him a friend. He was more of the 13 year old boy next door to her._

"_Teef, come on!" Tifa glanced over her shoulder to see her friend Lizzie standing in the distance with her school books in her hand. "We're gonna be late for 4__th__ period!" She shouted. _

_She turned back to look at Cloud. His facial expression made it obvious he was feeling uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Tifa said as she had missed what he just asked her._

"_I was wondering… if maybe you wanted to-"_

"_Tifa! Hurry up!" Lizzie begged from the distance, "Or I'm leaving without you!" _

_She sighed and said to Cloud, "Sorry, can this wait? I'm going to be late for class."_

"_Oh… um, okay." Cloud said and then watched her turn and walk next to her friend to their next class. He himself was late for the next class but he didn't care. He just wanted to watch her a little longer walk off. _

"_Oi, Strife!" A voice called from behind him and Cloud just rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for dealing with Jemison and his posse._

"_Hey, Strife! I'm talking to you!" _

_Cloud turned to see Jemison walking to him. "What do you want now?" He said with his voice tired._

"_I saw you talking to Tifa." He chuckled, "You think you got a chance with her?" His friends behind him chuckled as well._

_Jemison walked past him and bumped him in the shoulder and all his followers copied him eventually knocking Cloud to the ground. He sighed and then stood up when they had left and dusted himself off. He looked back to see Jemison and his posse far away now and then he whispered. "One day… I swear-"_

* * *

_Boy oh boy, you just keep getting yourself into trouble, don't ya? _A voice in his head said to him. He would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Zack?" He said very lightly since his throat was raspy.

"Cloud?" Another familiar voice said in the distance to him. He shuffled and could feel soft material under him. It felt like he was lying on a bed. He opened his eyes to see a plain white roof above him and a single light in the middle, turned on. Once his vision had cleared properly he looked around. The first thing he spotted was Tifa standing in the distance next to a table with flowers and cards on it.

"Tifa?" His gruff voice said as he saw her.

"Cloud!" She said happily and then practically pounced onto him with her arms tightly around his neck.

Cloud was shocked at first but his mind quickly pieced together a puzzle and he realized he was in a hospital. Why was he in a hospital? Well he was about to find out.

He wrapped his arms around the woman who was strongly hugging him and then petted her back trying to hint; _ok-get-off-me-now._ Reluctantly, Tifa pulled away but her body was still leaning on his, which Cloud didn't mind. Both of her hands were placed either side of his head as she supported herself. Cloud opened his mouth and was about to say something but was stopped again when Tifa pulled him into another hug. He was a bit annoyed at first but quickly got over it and hugged Tifa back. They stayed hugging longer this time, embracing eachother. He could smell Tifa's hair as her face was nuzzled into his neck, it smelt like vanilla and roses. He could get high off the smell.

"Sorry," Tifa said into his neck and then she finally pulled away. This time completely. She pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down on it.

Cloud shuffled and sat up a little in the bed. His head was killing him it was like he had the mother of all headaches. He smiled at Tifa, "Don't be." He opened his mouth and was about to say something but Tifa spoke first.

"You're in the Junon hospital after being knocked out in battle on the island." Tifa answered before he even asked.

He smiled; it was like she could read his mind. He was about to ask another question but once again; he didn't need to.

"You've been here for 3 days." Tifa said which surprised Cloud. He had been in hospital for 3 days? What had he missed?

"Where's Vincent?" He asked.

"Still on the island searching for the others. Your team captain – Edward, explained to me that a large monstrous beast bigger than anything he had ever seen knocked you out cold as with nearly everyone else. Edward called a medic team immediately after he had gotten out of a cave or whatever you were in. You and the rest of the team were rushed here."

Cloud sat silent for a while. He couldn't believe he had been out for 3 days.

What had happened in these past 3 days then?

* * *

**So I decided to try something different and add a memory from Cloud and Tifa's childhood. I don't know, did you like it? I want to include a few in up coming chapters. **

**Hopefully my updating will be a little quicker now :) Thank you all so much for reading!**

**And please don't forget to leave a little review!**

**TheFallenAngel24 xx**


	22. Merrymaking Merriments

**Round of applause for my favourite reviewers! ChaosAngel4us, Volixia669, YuffentineLover, cloudlover2989, The Royal Cupcake, J Luc Pitard, Knock-Out92 and XXSilverXTwilightXX. **

**This chapter is a little more focused on Cloud and Tifa so CloTi readers should like it :) But that doesn't mean the others aren't featured in this chapter.**

**And also something I've been looking forward to: The introduction of Rufus Shinra! :D**

**Anywho, Enjoy chapter 22; Merrymaking Merriments!**

* * *

Merrymaking Merriments

She looked down at her reflection beneath her in the clear stream. Blood stains were on her clothes from all the battles her and Reno had been through. She looked over to see Reno washing his face in the water. It had been 3 days since they escaped. They hadn't encountered any of the natives and their only enemies so far had been the dangerous wild life surrounding them. Now they were resting by a river and trying to regain their strength. Reno had been trained to survive in conditions like this in his Turks training but Yuffie on the other hand was struggling. Even now, walking had become a challenge for her. She had been sick the last 2 days.

Reno walked over to her. His face had droplets of water on it and his hair was wet. "How are you feeling?" He said. Reno and Yuffie had become incredibly close in the last 3 days. Supporting eachother in the hardest conditions and trying to keep one another alive. Yuffie would be lying if she said that she couldn't trust Reno.

A stray tear left her eye; something that had become normal now. Yuffie was a strong girl, but even so, she was still only young and was only 19. She would never cry in front of others, she had never broken before in front of her friends but now, she had broken.

"I don't think I'll be getting any better." She said.

Reno sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. 2 weeks ago she would have pushed him away and called him a pervert, but now, she needed his comfort after all they had been through together. "I'm scared, Reno." Yuffie admitted her voice was shaky.

"I've been in some tough situations before but never have I thought I'd never get out." She said.

Reno ran a hand through her knotted hair trying to soothe her. "We're not gonna die." He said.

Yuffie wished she could believe those words. She looked down at her bag of materia and shuffled through it until she found something. Her hand pulled out a rock and the memories just began coming to her brain. She remembered sitting on the hill that night with Vincent. It was their first night on the island and he was drawing in the sand with the rock. She didn't know why she had picked it up and kept it but now she was glad she did. It reminded her of him and made her feel slightly happier.

She just hoped that Vincent was safe.

* * *

Vincent continued running down the hill. He came to the bottom of it to reach a valley that had a river in it. He looked back to see Edward and Leo and a volunteer running after him. They were the only survivors from the attack in the tunnel so it was now just the four of them wandering and searching for the others on foot.

There was something strange that Vincent had found in the volcanic tunnels though.

_[3 days ago/Memory]_

"_Cloud!" Vincent said as he finished off the monster. He jumped over several sharp rocks and then came to his friend's side. Straight away he felt for a pulse and could feel one but from the looks of things, Cloud was out. He sighed and Edward came running to his side. He and Leo carried him out of the tunnel and used their walkie-talkies to call for the medics. _

"_Go on," Vincent said to them, "I want to look around." He said and then wandered through the tunnels. _

_Vincent knew that a beast like that isn't usually living in a volcano. He walked for hours through the different tunnels, making sure he kept track of where he was going so he didn't get lost, until he found something peculiar. _

_It looked like an arched doorframe. He walked through it to come to a tomblike room. Symbols were scribbled on the wall and some skeletons lay around. He stared at the symbols and tried to interpret them into a story._

_He could see drawings of monkeys and tents and islands. These inscriptions went on for nearly half of the wall until he reached a blank spot. It looked like the drawings had faded. He walked along the wall until he came to more. The first few he saw were hard to interpret. After a while the drawings of monkeys turned into more humanly looking apes. _

_His eyes followed the drawings until one really stood out to him. It was the drawing of a human with one wing. He stood there emotionless for a while and stared at the drawing. The next few drawings showed the apes bowing to him. A few drawings later he could see another human. Then there was another faded bunch of drawings. The last thing he could see was a crystal. _

_From what Vincent could interpret the story went something like this:_

_Monkeys were living on an uncivilized island. They developed into more intelligent apes. A man with one wing arrived on the island that was made their king. Another human arrived and then there was a blank gap and then a crystal. _

_Vincent didn't know what this meant but the story definitely intrigued him. He looked back at the drawing of the man with one wing. He didn't even dare to not consider that Sephiroth was lurking around on the island as the monkey-king. _

Edward had finally caught up with Vincent and now stood at his side heavily panting. "How do you… run… so fast…?" He said between breaths. Leo had finally reached them too with the volunteer by his side. The volunteer had told Vincent his name several times but he just kept forgetting. His mind was thinking about more important things.

"Can we please continue? I'd like to follow this stream." Vincent said politely as the three others breathed heavily.

Edward placed a hand on Vincent's should for support as he panted.

"Do not touch me." He said firmly causing Edward to quickly snatch his hand away in fear.

"Can we have a break?" Leo's voice piped in.

Not a muscle in Vincent's face moved to express in annoyance. "5 minutes." He said and immediately the other three fell to the group in exhaustion.

* * *

"How is Denzel?" Cloud asked as he watched Tifa straighten the cards that sat on a table nearby.

"He is fine. He's still very tired and weak and has to go through a week of therapy." She said with a slight smile. But Cloud saw past it and could tell she was missing something.

"That's it?" He said and cocked a blond eyebrow.

"W-well…" She said as she turned around and had her back to him as she smelt the flowers on the table.

"Well what?" Cloud said, trying to force the words out of her mouth.

She turned back to him again and had a genuine smile, "It's nothing, but he's really upset. He misses you and was worried about you. He really wanted to talk to you when he woke up so I tried contacting you but… I couldn't get through." She said, "2 hours later I was told you were being rushed to Junon hospital. I came here straight away."

Cloud nodded slowly as he thought about what Tifa had just told him, "Is he there by himself?"

Tifa shook her head, "Shera is with him. I've been here for the past 3 days."

Cloud felt a stroke of inner pride. Tifa had been sitting by his unconscious side for 3 whole days, waiting for him to wake up. Talk about loyalty. Oh, he just couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Thanks Teef," He said sincerely.

"It's nothing." She said as she looked down at her hands, embarrassed.

"So you mentioned he wanted to talk to me?" Cloud said bringing the topic back up.

"Yeah, not now, you still need _your_ rest too." Tifa said. "But… there's something else." She said with a hint of concern in her voice that caught Cloud's attention. She walked over and sat in the chair next to the hospital bed so she was right next to him. "He can't remember what happened to him." She said.

Cloud looked thoughtful for a minute and then spoke, "Nothing at all? It's all gone to him?"

She nodded, "It's a part of his therapy as well, to try and bring his memory back of the last few days on the island. The last thing he remembers is being in a cave or a volcano as he called it."

Cloud's eyes widened, "I was in a volcano. It's where I was knocked out."

Tifa nodded in understanding. "It's the last thing he remembers. He also said he wasn't alone. Red, Cait, Rude and Tseng were accompanying him."

He sighed, "Their alive. Thank the lord."

"Red would have looked after him." She smiled.

Tifa saw fury flash for a split second in Cloud's mako eyes. "No, he didn't. He let Denzel get… He should have protected Denzel."

"We don't even know what happened, maybe they were split up?" Tifa said. She knew Red would look after Denzel, she couldn't believe he would just abandon him for dead.

"Well he shouldn't have allowed himself to get split up from him." Cloud said his tone stricter and louder.

"Cloud." Tifa said softly. "Don't get angry at Red without even knowing what happened."

Cloud looked at her with a stoned expression which after a while softened and he nodded in understanding. "I shouldn't be in here. I should be helping Vincent find the others." He suddenly said seriously.

"Cloud," She said, "You still need rest."

He began to push himself out of the bed and push the covers off of him. Tifa stood up and raised her voice up a slight notch, "You've been out for 3 whole days. You need to regain your strength before going out again."

He didn't listen. He just jumped off the bed. He stumbled a bit as his head spun but he caught himself on the table.

"Cloud." She said, still softly but with a tip-off of anger. "Stop it." She said as he reached for his clothes. "Enough." Her voice was getting louder, another few notches and she would be shouting.

He picked up his navy sleeveless shirt. He pulled the white hospital shirt off and tossed it aside. Tifa was getting frustrated now. He was like a little kid determined to go play. She walked around the bed to the other side until she was beside him and put a hand on his bare shoulder. "Cloud go back to bed." She said, "I admire you're determination but you're still really weak. You won't be helping at all if you go out so soon."

Cloud stopped and then looked at Tifa, "Nah I feel fine, Teef." He said carefree.

Tifa frowned and then reached forward for the shirt in his hands. "No, you're not." She said.

Cloud put a hand on her wrist, stopping her from grabbing his shirt, "Yes, I am." He said as his blue eyes bore into her brown ones.

"Cloud," She said and twirled her wrist out of his grip and grabbed the shirt.

He grabbed the shirt as well and stopped her from taking it. "Tifa." He said, obvious he was forcing the annoyance out of his voice. Much like Tifa was.

"Cloud," Tifa said through gritted teeth and tried pulled the shirt away but Cloud kept his hand on it.

"Tifa," He said again and pulled it but Tifa's hand stayed on it strongly. He reached a hand up on her wrist and she could see his muscles on his body tense as he tried to pull her hand free of his shirt.

"No," Tifa said as she struggled to keep her grip, "Cloud I don't- Cloud stop- Cloud- You're hurting- Ow!"

He smirked in victory as he had pulled off her hand but accidently had used a bit too much strength. "Sorry Teef." He said as he tossed the shirt around in his hands to get it the right way but Tifa had another idea.

She quickly snatched the shirt out of his hands and held it behind her. "Back in bed." She said to him and he pouted. "Strife," She said strictly, "Get back in the bed."

He sighed and put his hand forward motioning her to give his shirt back. She shook her head.

"Tifa, give it back." Cloud said.

"Get back in the bed."

"Give me back my shirt."

"Only if you get in the bed."

"Give me back my shirt first."

"Cloud just-"

"Don't make me force you, Tifa." He said. And a dark brow on Tifa's face rose.

"Force?" Tifa questioned playfully.

Cloud stepped forward so he was only inches in front of Tifa and their chests were nearly touching. "Oh, I'll force you."

She looked up at him and smirked, "How about I force you back in the bed?"

"You're gonna force me into bed?" Cloud said humorously.

Tifa laughed at how dirty that had sounded and cloud quickly joined her. "Tifa," Cloud said in a sing-song tone. "Give me my shirt back," He teased.

Tifa shook her head as she forced a smile away.

"We can do this the easy way," Cloud said,

"Or the hard way," he ended.

"What's the hard way?" Tifa titled her head with a playful smile.

"This," He said and started to tickle her ribs. A bunch of laughs and giggles came from Tifa as Cloud tickled her. She tried to fight out of his grip but he was too strong for her and at the same time she tried keeping the shirt out of his reach.

"Stop!" She said between giggles and bursts of laughter, "Please," She giggled, "Stop Cloud," More laughter, "It hurts," She said as she continued laughing, "Cloud!" She squealed.

A nurse quickly sprang the door open and the look on her face was something you just couldn't buy. The sight before her was something no one else could buy either. Tifa was pushed up against a table with her arm in the air holding Cloud's shirt, while Cloud, topless, was on top of her with his hands on her body.

Immediately he got off her and cleared his throat while Tifa blushed and stifled her giggles.

"Mr. Strife, you're not in the best condition at the moment for this… Physical action." She said, trying to put it into polite terms. "Please go back to bed and get some rest, Miss. Lockheart I suggest you leave Mr. Strife to his own for now." She gave them both an odd look and then left, slamming the door behind her.

They both without delay burst out into a fit of laughs. "Miss. Lockheart," Cloud mocked in a high voice, "I suggest you leave Mr. Strife to his own for now." They laughed more. Finally they quieted down and Tifa gave Cloud back his shirt. He smiled at her and put it down as he slipped the white hospital one on him again. He sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to him for Tifa to sit down on. She obeyed his wishes and sat next to him and then smiled at him.

"I haven't laughed so much in ages." She said with a grin. It was true; she hadn't laughed her lungs out in months. She only ever did with Cloud anyway. He was the one person who could make her laugh in an instant.

"I don't think I have either." He said and smiled at her. She smiled back at him and their gazes on one another lingered for a little longer than usual. Tifa quickly snatched her eyes away and blushed.

"Well," Tifa said and looked down at her hands in her lap. She was fiddling with the hem of her shirt, "I should go. I need to go see Denzel in the Rocket Town Hospital."

"Rocket Town Hospital?" Cloud questioned.

"Well, it's where Shera took us." Tifa said and it quickly made sense to Cloud. She looked at Cloud with a compassionate face, "Stay here okay," She said kindly, "I know you wanna find Yuffie but, you're not in the best state for fighting off wild animals and climbing."

Cloud nodded. "Okay."

"Promise me." Tifa said.

"Promise." He sighed and rolled his eyes which made Tifa stifle a giggle. She leant forward and hugged him and he hugged her back. It was a quick short hug and before he knew it she was walking out the door.

"Bye Cloud. I'll ring you when I get to Rocket Town Hospital."

"Yep, take care." He said and she waved and shut the door.

Cloud sighed now that he was alone in the room. He lies back down on the bed and shut his eyes. He wondered off into another world of dreams and memories.

_[Memory/Dream]_

_The rain drizzled lightly from the sky as Cloud sat in his warm bedroom staring out of the window. Water droplets slid down the foggy window as he sat on the edge of his bed. It was quiet outside; no kids were playing due to the rain. He loved to watch the rain in the winter. But he would never dare run out there in it. _

_Suddenly a young girl walked into his view that caught his attention. She always caught his attention; Tifa Lockheart. The eleven year old girl next door who hardly noticed Cloud. He watched her walk through the rain, getting her hair wet. She was wearing a red raincoat and had a red ribbon tying her hair up in a ponytail. He watched her spin in circles for a while with her arms stretched out and looking up at the sky as the water sprinkled on her. _

_She began laughing and her laugh made Cloud smile. After a while she jumped into a puddle and water splashed on her making her laugh even more. Cloud didn't know why, but the smile on his face transformed into a light chuckle as he watched Tifa splash in the puddle and get mud all over her. She stopped after a while and looked around. _

_She looked around at all the trees and houses around her until her brown chocolate eyes met blue ones. A pair of blue eyes looking at her through a window. She gasped as she saw the boy next door looking at her. Immediately, he ducked out of view but Tifa wasn't impressed. Had he been watching her the whole time? She always forgot that kid's name that lived next door. In frustration she started marching towards his house. _

_Cloud had hit his head hard on the floor when he leaped out of view. He only prayed that she hadn't seen him. He risked it and peeked out the side of the window to see her walking to his window. She was about to enter their front garden. He cursed under his breath and scrambled to his feet, unsure what to do. _

_Tifa walked through Mrs. Strife's neatly groomed garden and walked right up to the window where she had seen the boy. She knocked on the glass three times until she saw short blond spikes pop up. It shocked her at first but her anger quickly came back. The boy opened his window slowly and looked scared. He stood up so he was nearly the same height as her, only a few inches taller._

"_Excuse me," Her soft voice said in a know-it-all manner, "Why were you watching me?" She put her hands on her hips, (The traditional Tifa pose)._

"_I-I wasn't." He said shyly. "I was just looking at the… at the rain." He said, "Not you." He added but quickly regretted it._

_She stared at him for a while in embarrassment, she had just quickly jumped to the conclusion he had been watching her. "Sorry," Her cheeks flushed red. "You just scared me, is all."_

_He nodded and they both stood there awkwardly. Cloud standing in the warm bedroom and Tifa on the other side of the window, dripping wet in the cold rain. "So," She piped up, "What's your name again?" She said._

"_Cloud." He said._

"_Cloud… Strife?" She said, always remembering his mother's last name. Plus she had seen STRIFE written on the letter box a few minutes ago._

_He nodded. _

"_Well, I'm-"_

"_Tifa." He finished for her. _

_She smiled and he returned it with one. "Tifa," A voice shouted in the distance. She turned and then looked back at Cloud._

"_Well, Cloud, I should go." She smiled and he smiled to._

"_Bye!" She said happily and then turned and jogged back into the rain. _

_She was out of hearing range when Cloud had said, "Bye, Tifa."_

_

* * *

_

She straightened her suit one last time and flattened invisible creases as she stood outside the polished wooden door that had _Rufus Shinra_ in scripted in gold on it. She tucked an invisible strand of hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. Finally she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in." A familiar voice said on the other side of the wood.

Her sweaty hand rested on the doorknob and she turned it and opened it to see the man himself sitting at his desk with a smirk on his face. She stepped in and closed the door behind her. Rufus stood up from his chair and walked around the desk and held his arms out, "Elena," He said and then gave her a hug which she timidly returned. He then put a strong hand on her shoulder and gave her a look from head to toe. "I'm glad to see you alive and healthy." He said then turned and walked back to his desk.

"My Turks don't usually put me into a state of panic but you," He said and sat down and looked at her curiously, "You certainly had me worried."

She nodded and smiled at him. "Well, I'm alive and well." She said and then stepped forward, "However, the other Turks are…"

"So I've heard." He finished for her. "Take a seat, Elena."

She nodded and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. "I hope their okay."

"So tell me, Elena, what happened? Is there absolutely no sign of the others whereabouts?"

"I know Reno is alive. I had walked and travelled with him on the island, but we were split up. He and Yuffie disappeared when we were attacked by island natives."

Rufus nodded, "Yes so I've heard already. Rude and Tseng aren't sighted yet?"

Elena looked sad for a moment but pushed it away, she could not let herself look weak in front of her boss, "No. Not yet, sir. Cloud and Vincent and a Junon search team are still looking though."

"Cloud Strife was immediately rushed to hospital 3 days ago after being attacked by a monster on the island." Rufus said formally as he wrote something down.

"What! Is he okay?" Elena said, nearly jumping out of her seat.

Rufus looked up from what he was writing and frowned at her in interest. Elena quickly re-adjusted herself and stayed silent.

"Elena," He said as he went back to writing, "I'm concerned about your new relationship with the members of AVALANCHE. I do not mind becoming alliances with them but that does not give you the ticket to become emotionally connected to any member. With no exceptions."

Elena nodded, knowing what he was saying was completely true. "So if you and Mr. Strife have something going on behind the scenes I think-"

"No!" She quickly interrupted. "Nothing is going on between Cloud and I. Absolutely nothing, I can assure you, sir."

"Good to know." Rufus said.

Elena couldn't help but think how worried Tifa would have been. She had to forget about that for now, however. It wasn't the time to worry about that now.

What she was really worrying about now was whether Reno, Rude and Tseng were alive.

* * *

**So I tried the whole CloudxTifa childhood memory thing again. It's also a reference to one of my all time favourite Fan Fic stories on this website which is; Puddles by punkiemonkie. It's always made me smile and it's a quick one shot so if you're bored one day - check it out!**

**Thank you everyone for reading!  
And please review and let me know what you think of this chapter!**

**The Fallen Angel 24 xox :) **

**P.S. Sorry for my bad editing in this chapter btw**


	23. A Resolution to Reach

**This is more of a preview for the upcoming chapter, I wouldn't call it an actual chapter but I needed to get something up as quick as possible for you guys since we wont have internet for the next few days and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging. So chapter 24 may take a little longer than wanted :/**

**It's also good to know that everyone is liking the flashbacks of Cloud and Tifa.**

**Thank you to the Royal Cupcake, XXSilverXTwilightXX, cloudlover2989, XxVioletxX, Yuffentine Lover and NotAStalker! You're reviews are highly appreciated and what keep me going.**

**Here's "chapter" 23; A Resolution to Reach**

* * *

A Resolution to Reach

Vincent looked up at the helicopter that was flying over the island. Rufus Shinra had sent several out to join the search but it wasn't helping too much. A majority of the island was covered in thick vegetation and the canopy and crown covers of the trees were making aerial searching very difficult. He continued walking down alongside the river with Edward a few feet behind him with Leo and the other volunteer that Vincent just couldn't remember the name of.

He continued walking down in some hope of finding Yuffie. He wasn't too eager to find Reno, but of course the two would be together so if he found Yuffie he would find Reno. He was tired, but now that he had the survival equipment with him the factors of starvation and dehydration had been eliminated.

He had been feeling great trouble everyday that Yuffie was missing. He hadn't felt like this about another human being in a long time.

A distorted and echoed voice spoke in his head. _I'm so sorry._ She said.

"Lucrecia." He whispered to himself.

He turned to see that his pace had gotten slower and that Edward and Leo and the other volunteer had caught up. He began walking along the stream again. Glancing at the clear water every now and then. The water was rough and was looking rather violent. The current would sweep you away in a heartbeat therefore it was rather unsettling.

Suddenly, a black cockatoo sprang from the branches above them in a tree and startled Edward causing him to stumble and fall into the river. Water splashed as his body collided with the river.

"Edward!" Leo shouted as Edward's head bobbed down the river at a rather fast speed.

"You fool!" Vincent shouted as he watched him struggling in the water. This was not what he needed right now. Leo and the volunteer began running down the river shouting for him. Vincent reluctantly followed and chased Edward as well.

They were very close but the river rapids speed was just a few notches higher and was going that small bit faster. They ran for minutes. Edward was waving his arms around trying to grab a hold of something and Leo shouting at him. The volunteer threw a log into the water for Edward which did not help at all and instead just got swept away in the currents.

More minutes passed of their useless running after Edward and Leo and the volunteer grew tired and began to slow down. Vincent however, being a lot fitter than the two, increased his speed and overtook the two as they fell to the ground in defeat.

"Edward!" He shouted and Edward let out a cry for help.

* * *

"Edward!" A very quiet and distant voice yelled. Yuffie would know that voice anywhere. Her head perched and so did Reno's. They had been lying down on the wet grass, slowly falling into a sick unconsciousness from a lack of nutrients. Yuffie was a lot sicker than Reno. Reno was doing his best to look after her but he was too sick himself.

It had gotten to the stage where Yuffie couldn't continue walking any further. It was almost as if they had given up until Yuffie had heard that voice.

Vincent's voice.

"The river!" Reno said almost as if he had read Yuffie's mind. As quick as he could he stood up on his feet and then limped to Yuffie and slowly and tiredly pulled her up. He put an arm around her waist to support her and then he limped closer to the river they were only minutes from.

2 minutes of struggling to walk felt like 2 years of struggling to breathe. Finally the river was in view but they couldn't see Vincent anywhere. Had they missed him?

"No," Reno said breathlessly as he looked around.

"NO!"He yelled in anger.

* * *

"NO!" Vincent heard behind him. He turned and listened more to hear very subtle crying. He looked ahead to see Edward quickly floating away. He looked back to hear more of the cursing. He was close enough to hear them faintly. He now had a decision to make.

A very tough one.

* * *

**What do you think? Save Edward or ditch him for Yuffie and Reno? I'm sure if he goes to save Edward, Yuffie and Reno will still be there... won't they? **

**Thank you for reading and please; review!**

**FallenAngel24 xox**


	24. Deliberations

**A big thank you to my wonderful reviewers, you guys are what keeps this story alive :)**

**sapphire wind, Knock-Out92, The Royal Cupcake, ChaosAngel4us, XXSilverXTwilightXX, Yuffentine Lover, Volixia669, NaleniaBurnes and NotAStalker. **

**This chapters a bit everywhere and so some might struggle to keep up, sorry about that. This chapter would have been posted about 5 days ago but FanFiction wasn't letting me update and kept saying error :| **

**Enjoy chapter 24; Deliberations.**

* * *

Deliberations

He sprang forward and ran to save Edward. His feet were moving quicker than his mind was. Millions of thoughts were going through his head. Had he just passed his only opportunity of finding Yuffie and Reno? Was that even Yuffie and Reno? Is he even going to catch Edward? Should he had just given up his false hope for Edward and saved what he assumed to be Yuffie and Reno? It was hurting his brain cells to think of it. Branches and twigs from trees slapped him in the face and created cuts as he sprinted through the bushes. He took a short detour through a less thick part of bush and as he pushed past the last branch he saw an empty river ahead of him. No Edward? Had he drowned? Had been swept away to quick? He walked to the very edge of the bridge and stared down at the water to see nothing.

Nothing.

No Edward.

Nothing.

Another life lost. He looked down at the grass for a few seconds of recollection. He turned and jogged quickly back to where he had previously heard the cursing and crying.

Nothing. Again.

No Yuffie. No Reno.

Nothing.

Anger built up inside of him; extreme fury that Vincent couldn't control. He didn't hold back on the transformation, in fact he craved it. His body quickly evolved into the beast within and he let out a powerful and distressing scream. Unleashing the wrath from inside of him.

* * *

Her breathing had quickened as tears flowed down her cheeks. She had collapsed onto the ground in defeat. Yuffie couldn't do this anymore. Neither could Reno, he was so angry. He was on his knees and had his head pressed against the ground as he shouted a string of curses. Yuffie would never let anyone see her so messed up, so weak, so troubled or so upset. But she didn't care anymore. A giant dragon breathing fire out of its lungs could waltz in right now and she wouldn't care. She didn't care her hair was a mess, that her clothes were ripped, dirty and stained with blood. It was the end for her. The story of her life was quickly ending and she felt like ripping the last page out and throwing it in the bin. The end was too much for her.

She was choking on her tears and coughing for air. She had never felt so traumatized and sick. Her eyes were heavy and tired and she was ready to close them.

Forever.

Reno was breathless and had now received a sore throat from all the shouting he had just done. He hadn't been so loud and said so much in so long. His lack of talking the past 5 days had made his throat raspy and rough.

He used his last strength to push himself off the ground and stumbled over to Yuffie who was having a breakdown. He sat down next to her where she lay on the ground. He put a hand on her back and in his rough voice he said, "This isn't the end."

"It was our last chance." She blurted out in tears.

"No," His raspy voice scraped out. "It wasn't." Reno couldn't believe his own words. He wasn't being faithful anymore, he was just trying to keep a small flicker of hope in Yuffie but his flame of faith had gone out hours ago.

Abruptly, a heartrending scream was heard.

* * *

Chaos ripped through bushes and trees that were in his way. He sliced his claws through sticks and branches and kicked rocks and stones across the ground. In his anger he put both his claw-like hands on a tree and ripped it straight out of the ground; revealing his powerful strength. He threw the tree truck aside and it made the ground shook as it collided.

Plants and shrubs that were in its way were quickly crimpled into leaves as Chaos shredded its way through. It stomped through more vegetation and then he suddenly stopped. Between bushes leaves he could see 2 humans. Instantly he recognized them. Instead of the happiness of finding them he felt something else; sadness. In front of him was Yuffie crying in Reno's arms as he held her and comforted her.

He didn't know why he was feeling this way but the wrath brewing inside of him quickly diminished and before he knew it; Vincent Valentine was standing there in misery. A feeling that was no stranger to him. It was a worse feeling than before when he had believed he had missed Yuffie and Reno; now that he had found them he was seeing what he didn't want to see. He stood still for a few minutes watching them in eachother's arms until he finally had pulled himself together to approach them.

"Yuffie," He said as he pushed past the branches that were shielding him before.

Her face quickly rose from Reno's chest and even more tears started to flow from her eyes. "Vincent!" Her shaking voice shouted. She slowly pushed herself up, with the help of Reno, and stumbled over to him. She was only 2 feet away when she collapsed onto him and fell into his arms. Vincent was shocked at first that Yuffie had literally thrown herself at him. He supported her weak body while she cried and laughed.

"I can't believe it." She laughed and then cried, "You're alive. You've found us!" She said happily through tears.

Vincent was certainly confused; if she was happy, why was she crying?

Reno then joined him and stood by Yuffie's side. "I thought that was it," He said despondently, "But now you've found us." He said and put a strong hand on Vincent's shoulder, "You've found us." He repeated with his voice breaking as if he was going to cry.

Vincent was feeling very uncomfortable in the emotional moment. He then cleared his throat and said, "Leo and a volunteer aren't far, they'll take you home and look after you." Vincent said.

"Who's Leo?" Yuffie asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"He's a helper from Junon who has been helping me find you." Vincent said and surprisingly to him Yuffie closed the space between their bodies and hugged him. She rested her head on his shoulder while Vincent stood there shocked and wide eyed.

"I knew you'd come." Yuffie whispered into his ear therefore Reno didn't hear.

"A helper from Junon? You mean we've been rescued?" Reno said as he put all his weight on a tree beside him, unable to stand by himself no more.

Vincent nodded, "Yes we have. I'll explain later."

Yuffie pulled away from Vincent but he still supported her as he led them to Leo. Reno staggered next to him and limped the whole way. The walk was slow but Vincent could understand. He looked at Yuffie who was beside him. Her skin was very pale suggesting she had been very sick, her hair was tangled with leaves crumpled in it and her clothes were ripped and had blood on it. But that's not what caught Vincent's eye. What caught his eye was what was in her left hand. She was holding on tightly to a rock. Why was she holding a rock? He had no idea, maybe since she didn't have her shuriken she had been using the rock instead? But Vincent could see her materia pouch attached to her shorts securely.

* * *

"Now, good work Denzel." The therapist said. "Let's try again." She said.

It was his 4th day having therapy and he hated it. The therapist – Amanda – was great to him but that didn't make it any better. He still found his therapy lessons really boring. They went for 2 hours every day for the next week. He had been constantly waiting for Tifa's daily ring to tell him whether Cloud had woken up yet. He hadn't heard anything from her today so he hoped that he had woken up. Then again; he didn't usually hear from her until late at night.

"Now, close your eyes and picture the people you were with." Amanda said.

Denzel shuffled in the comfy chair he was sitting in and nodded. He shut his eyes and picture, Red, Tseng, Rude and Cait Sith.

"Can you see them?" Amanda asked and Denzel nodded. "Okay, now picture them in the cave exit where you last remember them."

Denzel focused for a while and then nodded, "Yep."

"Good boy." Amanda smiled, "Now, what are they doing?"

He focused even more this time. He could see Tseng at the front walking out with Rude beside him. Red and Cait were behind him as he walked out. Then they all faded away again.

He sighed and opened his eyes and looked at Amanda sadly. She didn't have to ask to know.

"It's okay, Denzel. These things take time." She said. "So, are there any other problems you're experiencing other than your memory loss?"

"I'm still worried for the rest of my friends on the island." He said, "I hope their okay."

"The best things to do in these situations are to think positively and wait for their return." Amanda said with a compassionate smile.

"Ok." Denzel said quietly and looked out the window to see a grey sky. "What time is it?" He questioned.

"Um," She looked down at her watch on her wrist, "Nearly 5." She looked up at Denzel again to see he was looking out at the gloomy sky. "Looks like we're in for a rainy night."

Denzel gradually nodded as he stared out in thought. Rain unsettled him, after his past horrible experiences with it on the island. He never wanted to go out in it ever again unless he had to.

"Is something wrong, Denzel?" Amanda asked as she studied his unsettled features on his face.

He took his eyes off the window and rested the on Amanda again. He faked a small smile, "Not at all. Just looking out the window." He said.

"It's good to look outside and relax. If that helps you think, then by all means, continue." She said as she wrote something down in her book. She was always taking notes down every day she spoke with Denzel. "Well Denzel," She said as she shut her book and then threw a smile at him, "Looks like our times up. I'll see you tomorrow at the same time."

Denzel smiled back at her and then jumped off the chair. He followed her to the door and she held it open for him. "Bye Denzel. Take care until we see eachother again." Amanda said and he waved at her as he left the room.

He walked down the corridor that lead back to the receptionist and then took the elevator to go back to his hospital room.

* * *

"Thank you!" Tifa said as she shut the door closed of the taxi she was just in. It was late at night now and nearly half past 10. It had been a whole day's journey to Rocket Town from Junon. Even if she took a plane and was driven the rest of the way in a taxi. It was raining so she could feel the cold pins of water stab into her skin as she ran across the road – avoiding traffic. She then walked directly into the hospital.

As soon as she walked through the glass sliding doors the warmness from the heaters hit her. She took her coat off and shook it free of the rain and then gave it to the receptionist. After a quick elevator trip and a short walk she found herself knocking on Denzel's hospital room door.

"Come in." She heard his voice say on the other side of the wood.

She opened the door and greeted him a with a bright smile. He was sitting on the bed – cross legged – and had various comic books around him and the TV in front of him on. He was in his pyjamas.

"Tifa!" He said happily and dropped the comic book he was reading.

"Hey Denzel."

"I didn't know you were coming back!" He said and Tifa sat down on the edge of the bed next to him.

"Yeah of course. I didn't forget you." She said with a smile.

"How's Cloud? Is he awake?" He said with wide blue eyes of worry.

"He's awake and feeling a lot healthier." She said with another smile.

A large grin appeared on Denzel's face. "Really! Yes! Can we go see him Tifa?" He said eagerly.

A small chuckle left her lips, "I just came from there!"

He pouted, "Tifa, pleeeeeeeeease!"

"Sorry, not now. You're not allowed to leave here anyway."

Denzel frowned for a few seconds.

"But…" Tifa said which caused his features to perk up again. "He's waiting for a call from you."

Then that large grin was reborn on his face. He jumped off his bed quickly and Tifa laughed from behind him as he raced to the phone on the wall on the other side of the room. He picked it up and held it at his ear, "Tifa! Tifa, dial the number!" He said excitedly.

She casually walked to the phone while Denzel jumped on the spot. Seconds later; the phone was ringing.

The phone rang.

And rang.

And rang.

Until Denzel heard a beep and something move. He looked confused for a second while Tifa watched him from her spot on his bed.

"Hello?" A Nibelheim accent spoke.

"Cloud!" Denzel's voice shouted.

"Whoa, hey buddy. You sure sound like you're a lot better." Tifa smiled as she could hear Cloud's words, even if she didn't have the phone.

"Yeah, I'm ready to come out and see you but Tifa won't let me." He complained.

Cloud chuckled on the other side of the line, "Don't worry Denzel, she won't let me leave either." He said.

Tifa just rolled her eyes as she listened to them.

"Cloud, how are you feeling?" Denzel asked.

"Much better. I still need some rest however, just like you do."

"I don't need any rest."

Another soft laugh came from Cloud's end of the line, "Trust me, buddy, you do."

Cloud heard him sigh, "So what's this I hear about therapy?" Cloud asked.

"The doctors are making me see this therapist. She's supposed to help me remember something but so far she's only got me remembering another extra second." He grumbled.

"That's progress." Cloud said optimistically.

"Pfft."

"I don't wanna hear that attitude." He said somewhat firmly.

"Sorry, it's just; I don't feel like I'm improving at all." Denzel said.

"Things like this take time."

"That's what she said." Denzel said.

"Huh?"

"The therapist. That's what the therapist said. Literally." Denzel said trying not to send the wrong message.

Cloud chuckled again.

"My turn now, Denzel." Tifa said.

"1 more minute." Denzel said.

Cloud heard Tifa groan in the background and laughed in his head. "How many more days until you're allowed out?"

"3 more days in this hell hole."

"Denzel!" He heard Tifa in the background exclaim, "Don't use that language."

"You're lucky you're out of my reach at the moment, Denzel." Cloud said.

"Okay, okay, sorry." He apologised.

"Good. Well I'll see you in 3 more days then, bud. Take care." Cloud said.

"Yep! You to, Cloud. Can't wait to see you again!" The enthusiasm was just screaming from his words.

"Here's Tifa." He said and then handed Tifa the phone.

"Hey," Tifa said and then watched Denzel climb back onto his bed.

"Teef, how's it going? You get there alright?" Cloud said.

She smiled, "Smooth journey."

"Good." He said.

She walked over to the window and pushed the curtain aside to look out at the darkness. It was very late. "How are you feeling?" She said as she eyed the dark silhouettes of buildings and hills outside.

"Better. Doc says I only need to stay one more night."

"And then?"

"Hmph, What do you think?"

She sighed and let go of the curtain and then leant on the wall, "You're going to go help Vincent search."

"Correct."

"Cloud you're still-"

"Not interested." He cut her off, "Besides, the doctor says I'm fine to go. I had all these physical tests done and this mental one."

"I guess." She said. "I'm just worried."

"Don't be."

"It's getting late." She said, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Wait, what's the plan?" Cloud said.

"I think I should stay with Denzel for the next three days." Tifa said as she looked over at Denzel who was going through his comic book again.

"I think you should too. I'll phone you before I go out into the field." He said.

"Alright."

"Goodnight, Teef."

"Goodnight. Rest well." She said and then heard the line hang up.

She sighed and put the phone back on the hook.

"What's happening?" Denzel said as he kept his eyes on his book.

"Cloud's going back to searching tomorrow. I'm staying here with you for the next 3 days."

"What? Why does he gets to leave so early?"

"I don't know, Denzel, but it's late now and I'm tired. Maybe it's time we both went to bed."

"Yeah… okay." He said and started to pile his comic books up. Tifa picked the pile up and moved it to the nearby table while Denzel put the blankets over himself. Tifa then walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep well." She said and he nodded.

"Goodnight, Tifa."

With the click of a switch; the room was shrouded in darkness.

* * *

It was dark by the time, Vincent, Yuffie, Reno, Leo and the extra volunteer reached Junon. The helicopter ride had been completely silent the way there. Vincent was being his natural quiet self, Yuffie had fallen asleep, and Reno obviously had nothing to say while Leo and the volunteer grieved Edward's death.

Once they had reached the volunteer bay; Yuffie and Reno were rushed to the doctors. Vincent had to stay and talk to someone about Edward and Leo and the other volunteer disappeared. After informing a man about Edward's death and giving him his condolences he had to wait in the sick bay while the doctors and nurses tended to Yuffie and Reno. While waiting he decided to go and ring the Junon hospital.

"Hello, this is Josie at the Junon Hospital, how can I be of assistance?"

"I'm inquiring about Cloud Strife's condition." Vincent said politely.

"Yes, who is this?"

"Vincent Valentine, I'm a friend of his."

"Oh of course, Mr. Valentine. Just one moment please."

Vincent suddenly felt strange, he hadn't been called 'Mr. Valentine,' in years.

"Mr. Valentine."

"Yes?"

"Ah good, thank you for waiting. Mr. Strife is in good condition, would you like us to put him on the line?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay, one moment please," Josie said and then Vincent heard ringing.

"Hello?"

"Cloud."

"Vincent?" Cloud said.

"Indeed." Cloud heard a low chuckle come from Vincent's side of the line.

"I don't understand… Have you-"

"I've found them." Vincent finished for him.

"Everyone? Or…"

"No, just Yuffie and Reno… but in the process, I allowed Edward to die." He said grimly. Cloud's heart suddenly felt heavy. Poor Edward.

"So the others are still out there." Cloud said thoughtfully.

"How do we know that?" Vincent said. He didn't know that Denzel had been travelling with the others until Cloud informed him.

"Their alive and they're on that island. Denzel woke up a few days ago and said that he was travelling with, Red, Cait Sith, Tseng and Rude. However he's lost most of his memory of what happened to him. The last he remembers is them exiting a cave. Probably the very same one we had gone through." Cloud explained.

"Indeed." Vincent said and was silent for a while, "I can't search for them now. I'm in Junon at the moment. What about you?"

"The doctor's given me the clear to leave tomorrow afternoon." Cloud said.

"We need to visit Denzel in Rocket Town," Vincent said, "I want to talk to him – face to face."

"Alright. We'll go there tomorrow and should be there by noon the next day." Cloud agreed.

"I just overheard that Yuffie and Reno are going to go the Junon hospital. I'll go with them and continue this conversation with you in person." Vincent said as he listened to a man speaking behind him.

"Sounds good."

"See you soon."

"Right." Cloud said then hung up.

* * *

"What time is it?" Yuffie asked the nurse.

"Nearly midnight." She said as she handed Yuffie her third glass of water. She had been incredibly dehydrated.

Reno came walking through with a sandwich in his hand, "The medical guy said we have to go to Junon hospital." He said with a mouth full of food. He was starving.

Yuffie nodded.

* * *

"Vincent!" Yuffie said happily as she saw Vincent standing by the ambulance she was about to get in. He looked up at her, not looking too impressed.

"Is everything okay?" Yuffie asked in concern.

Vincent ignored her question and instead asked one himself, "How is your arm?" He said as he noticed the sling it was in.

She looked down at her arm and then back up at Vincent, "The nurse says I've broken it. It was giving me a lot of grief on the island." She said.

Reno then came walking up from behind Yuffie, this time with a glass of water in his hand. "Vincent," he said, "You coming with us to the hospital."

"Yes, Cloud is there, we need to discuss matters about Denzel and more." Vincent said.

"Cloud's in hospital!" Yuffie burst out saying. "That's a first…" She said and then looked out into the unknown.

"What happened to him?" Reno asked.

"We were attacked whilst in a cave by a large creature that resembled Ifrit. Cloud was unfortunately knocked out." Vincent said.

"And you mentioned, Denzel?" Yuffie said. Yuffie and Reno had been captured before they had found Denzel lying unconscious in the jungle.

Vincent sighed. "I'll explain later at the hospital."

* * *

"Mr. Strife, you have a visitor." A nurse said as she opened the door to his room.

Cloud nodded and she let Vincent in. He had scratches and a few blood stains on his clothes which weren't that visible due to his coat already being soaked in crimson.

"How are you?" Vincent said as he examined his friend in the hospital bed.

"I'm fine." Cloud said as he sat up and then swung his legs around so he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You say the others are alive?" Vincent said as he referred to the conversation they were having just 30 minutes ago.

"Yes, Denzel says he was travelling with them. Where they are now, or what their objectives were, well, he can't remember." Cloud said.

Vincent sighed. "Yuffie and Reno are in the rooms down the hall from here."

"Let's go," Cloud said as he stood up.

A very low and light chuckled left Vincent's mouth and Cloud looked at him questionably. "What?" He said.

"The hospital attire you have to wear." Vincent explained as he looked at Cloud standing before him in plain white baggy sweat pants and a white pin-striped button up shirt. He looked so weird in white unlike his usual black clothing.

"It was either this or that other horrible dress that doesn't tie up at the back letting the whole world see my rear end." He said defensively and Vincent laughed lightly again and Cloud just punched him playfully as he followed him through the hospital halls.

Vincent opened the door a crack to see a doctor in the room. He motioned Vincent in and so Vincent and Cloud entered. They let the doctor finish what he was saying and then he left. Yuffie turned on the bed and saw Cloud.

"Cloud!" She said happily and Cloud came to the bed and gave her a hug.

"Yuffie, how are you feeling?" He said as he hugged her back.

She sat back down on the bed and rested her head on the pillow. "Tired. The doctors have given me a lot of numbing medicine and pain killers."

Cloud smiled. "But other than that, I'm alive, ai?" She said smiling as she looked up at the two men.

"Cloud," Cloud heard another voice behind him and he turned to see a familiar red-head, "Ya look different." Reno said jokingly.

Then Cloud finally felt embarrassed of his clothing. It wasn't as bad when Vincent was teasing him but was when it was Reno. Cloud cleared his throat, "Thanks…"

"I heard you were knocked out." Reno said as he walked past him and then pushed aside the curtain next to Yuffie's bed to reveal his bed. He sat down on the end of it and looked up at Cloud, expecting an answer.

"Yeah, I've been unconscious for a while." Cloud said and then sat down on the chair next to Yuffie's bed. Vincent stayed standing.

"How is everyone?" Yuffie said, "Elena and Teef are they-"

"Their fine. Tifa is in Rocket Town with Denzel. While Elena is informing Rufus about the rest of you Turks." He said as he looked at Reno.

"I should probably let everyone know that Yuffie and Reno are safe." Vincent said.

"Perhaps tomorrow, it's late now." Cloud looked at the clock to see it was nearly 1 in the morning.

"First thing tomorrow then, before we leave for Rocket Town." Vincent said.

"Huh?" Yuffie said.

"I'm allowed out tomorrow. So Vincent and I are going to see Tifa and Denzel in Rocket Town."

"I need to speak with Denzel." Vincent added.

"What happened to Denzel?" Yuffie asked.

Vincent began to explain, "Soon after you and Reno went missing we discovered Denzel in the jungle. It's unknown how he got there. We thought he was dead at first but realised he was hanging on by thread. We needed revive materia which is why we made it so urgent to find you. Shera found us in this Highwind, luckily, and so Denzel and Tifa have been in Rocket Town."

"We also identified what looked like an attempted strangle on Denzel's neck by these bruises and red marks." Vincent added.

Yuffie looked concerned immediately, "Oh no, is he okay?"

"He's happy and healthy now." Cloud said, "He's just having memory issues of what happened to him."

Yuffie nodded, "Who would do such a thing?" She asked herself.

"There's something else," Cloud said, "I think it'll interest you, Reno." He immediately caught their attention.

"Denzel says he can remember he was travelling with Rude and Tseng with Cait Sith and Red on the island." Cloud finished.

Reno smirked to himself, "I knew they were alive." He said.

"They must still be on the island than?" Yuffie said.

"Indeed." Vincent said.

"I should be looking for them." Reno said determinedly.

"I think your rest and recovery is more important for you at the moment." Vincent said.

"Vincent and I will be out there as soon as possible looking for them." Cloud said, "After visiting Denzel."

"I have a strong desire to talk to Denzel about what he remembers." Vincent said. "That also reminds me," He said as he turned to look at Cloud, "There's something else I need to discuss with you."

"Okay," Cloud said, "Well, we'll leave you two to get your rest." He said to Yuffie and Reno and then followed Vincent back to his room.

Cloud sat down on his bed while Vincent sat down on the chair beside it after he closed the door. Cloud could sense the importance of what Vincent was about to tell him.

"Not long after you were sent here, I went for a small detour in the volcano." Vincent said and Cloud looked at him with interest. "I came across what looked like these ancient drawings. They had all these inscriptions. I interpreted this very odd story from them." Vincent said.

"Go on." Cloud said.

"Well, at first it seemed like the island was populated with monkeys, normal monkeys. Not the type we saw. It showed them evolving into more intelligent creatures; some type of morph of a human and an ape. Then there was a drawing of a man with one wing."

Cloud's eyes widened, "What?"

"I don't know if it was… him," Vincent said, unwilling to say the name. "But it was this human with one big wing. It showed the apes worshiping him and building things for him – villages, tents etc. Then it showed another human on the island."

"Did he have a wing?" Cloud asked apprehensively.

"No. He was just an average human by the looks of the drawings." Vincent said, "The the pictures faded and the very last thing I could make out was this odd crystal."

Cloud looked thoughtful for a while. He didn't know what to think, the one thing that Vincent had mentioned about the man with one wing really started eating at him. He was growing even more anxious at the moment. He looked over to the corner of the room to see his trusty sword propped up against the wall. He didn't feel safe without having it in his hand.

"Cloud," Vincent said, "I know what you're thinking."

Cloud looked at Vincent and sighed as he lay back down on the bed. "I dunno, it's late, I'm tired."

Vincent nodded, "Likewise, I could really go with a rest."

"'Night Vincent." Cloud said to Vincent.

"Goodnight, Cloud." He said as he walked out the room and flicked the light switch off.

* * *

**So, I think this will be the last "long" chapter I post. Basically because it takes me to long to write them and I'd update a lot quicker if I was posting shorter chapters. Then again, I don't know what a majority of you guys would prefer - long chapters that take I take a while to update with or short chapters that I'll update quicker with?**

**Please review and let me know! Thank you for reading!**

**The Fallen Angel 24 x **


	25. Avenger

Avenger

Elena woke up to the sound of her alarm clock beeping next to her right ear. She wearily opened her eyes to first see a blurry image of her room until her eyes focused to see the big red numbers next to her on the clock, 5:30 am. She rubbed one of her eyes and then slipped out of bed, her covers falling off her. Her feet were cold on the floor as she first stepped onto it. She tip-toed over to her coat hanger and grabbed her robe and put it on. She wrapped the material belt around it to keep it closed and then made her way to the small kitchen in her little apartment. Every morning she settled with a quick and easy breakfast so today she just chopped up some apple and banana and made a quick fruit salad. After finishing her breakfast she checked the clock to see it was 6 am.

After a quick shower and trip to the bathroom she put her Turks navy blue suit on and looked at herself in the mirror. Elena had lost a little bit of weight from the lack of nutrition she had gotten on the island but it wasn't anything dramatic. What really stood out to her was the absence of her smile on her face. These past few days had been depressing for her, not knowing whether her fellow colleagues were alive, where they were and whether they were safe or not. She had also been extremely stressed with the amount of work Rufus had given her. There was a lot of paper work that she had to catch up on and she also had forms and confidential business to update. Without the help of the other Turks a lot of work had been piled onto her until they returned; if they ever returned.

It felt like a dagger had skewered her heart at that last thought. Could she move on from Reno, Rude and Tseng and work with new Turks if her friends didn't return? It was a question she prayed to Gaia she didn't have to answer. After staring into her brown eyes that were filled with misery for another few minutes she glanced at the clock to see it was quarter to 7.

A heavy sigh left her mouth as she left her apartment and walked out into the fresh air. The cold gush of wind made her hair stand on end and make goose bumps appear on her skin. It was a chilly morning. Her blonde hair was pushed and pulled from the wind as she stood on the side of the busy street of Midgar waiting for the bus to come along. The white public bus pulled up quicker than Elena had imagined and she stepped onboard. After giving the bus seats a disgusted look she picked the front seat on the right.

She hated buses. She hated all public transport to begin with. The only reason she had been taking the bus was because Reno, Rude and Tseng were missing. Usually, Tseng would come pick her up and occasionally, Reno. Since they were missing she had no other choice but take the bus or walk there. But she was on such a tight schedule she didn't have time to walk.

After another few stops the bus was becoming more populated and every seat was eventually filled up, causing some people to stand. One stop before the Shinra Building and an elderly man had decided to take the seat next to Elena. She wouldn't lie to herself; she was highly disturbed by the looks he gave her.

Finally they had arrived at her stop and she pushed herself past the people and off the bus. She checked her PHS to see she was just on time. After a quick elevator trip and a spree up the few flights of stairs she found herself in front Rufus' office.

"Come in," She heard him say on the other side of the door. She opened the door to see him expectantly waiting at his desk.

"Goodmorning, Sir." She said.

"Goodmorning to you to, Elena." He said with a smile.

"Sir, I've finished the files," Elena said and stepped forward so she was in front of his desk.

"Brilliant, Elena." Rufus said as he took the papers from her hand. He looked up at her with a small smile, "I have an important job for you today. I need to you to see a Mr. Trenton and _persuade_ him to give you a certain document."

"Persuade, sir?" Elena questioned. She definitely knew what he meant by 'persuade' but she had never been ordered to threaten someone all by herself. It was usually Reno and Rude's job. In fact this was her very first time going on an individual mission. She started to feel the pressure.

"Yes, Elena, persuade." Rufus said with a tone of knowledge.

And she nodded in response.

"Here is the address and task outline." He said and gave her a thin document, "If there are any concerns, let me know."

She took it with a shaky hand started to feel the nerves kick in. What if she wasn't threatening enough? What if this guy laughed at her instead of being afraid? How was she going to threaten him? She had nothing to blackmail him with, what was she meant to do?

She left Rufus' office with a nod and went to her own office. She read the paper and looked at the picture of the man. He seemed to look like an ordinary man but of course, never judge a book by its cover. After a moment of giving herself a prep talk she left the Shinra building and started to walk to where the man lived. He wasn't far so she dismissed the idea of taking transport.

"Oh jeez, Reno where are you when I need you?" She said to herself.

* * *

"Marlene! Come on, baby!" Barret's voiced boomed up the stairs as he waited for Marlene to come down.

"One minute, daddy!" Her high voice peeped.

He sighed and looked at the clock. He didn't want her to miss the bus, otherwise he'd have to take her to school and then he'd be late to work and then he would fall behind schedule and everything would be wrecked for the day. Now the pressure was hitting him. He had an important meeting today with some business men who were interested in Barret's business ideas. He _had _greatly improved Corel and rebuilt it back to the great community it once was.

"Marlene!" He said in impatience.

"Coming, daddy!" She shouted as he saw her start running down the stair steps. He helped her put her backpack on and then gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"You be a good girl today at school and keep outta trouble, aight?" Barret said into her eyes and she nodded and he gave her another quick kiss.

"Bye, daddy!" She said happily as she ran out the door and to the school bus. It was her first day back to school after nearly a week's recovery at home. Unlike other children, Marlene loved school. Barret didn't know what it was but she had been so eager to return after they had come back from the island. He had thought that she would be emotionally scarred from her experience but it turned out she was a lot stronger than Barret had thought and she basically brushed the experience off. He didn't know whether to be concerned in case she was bottling it all up or to be happy that she hasn't been stained from it. Barret himself had found the experience overwhelming and on the last few days he truly believed he was facing death, a familiar feeling for him.

He quickly gathered his belongings and hurried to work to get to his meeting as early as possible.

* * *

"Miss. Lockheart." A nurse said at the door as she peeked into Denzel's hospital room.

"Yes?" Tifa said as she turned around in the chair she was seated in. She had a magazine in her hand that she had been reading. Denzel was missing because he was at his therapy so it was just her in the room.

"We received a message this morning from Junon Hospital and they have a patient who is eager to talk to you. It's a Mr. Cloud Strife. Is the name familiar?" The nurse said.

Tifa smiled, "Very familiar." She said.

The nurse nodded and left.

Tifa shut the magazine she was reading and put it in the magazine rack that was next to Denzel's bed that held various comic books he had. She pulled her PHS out and dialled Cloud's number.

"Cloud speaking." Cloud said.

A smile appeared on her face. She could hear wind in the background so it sounded like he was outside. "Cloud, its Tifa."

"Oh hey Teef." His voice suddenly picked up.

"Cloud, it's still early, don't tell me you're going out into the field now." Tifa said.

"No," A soft chuckle escaped his mouth, "Actually, Vincent's with me."

"Vincent? Is he okay?" Tifa said.

"He's fine. He found Yuffie and Reno." Cloud said.

He heard Tifa gasp, "Their alive! That's brilliant!" She said happily.

"Yeah," Cloud said and Tifa could tell he was smiling, "We're coming to see you."

"Hmmm?" Tifa said.

"Vincent wants to speak to Denzel. So we're coming to see you. We should arrive around tomorrow, noon." Cloud said.

"Cloud, that's great!" She beamed, "Thing's are definitely looking up!"

"Yeah. It's definitely a turn around." Cloud said with little enthusiasm.

"Is everything okay?" Tifa asked with concern.

"Mmmmm." He hummed in thought.

"Cloud?" Tifa questioned.

"Huh? Oh sorry," He said as he snapped back to reality. "It's just…"

"Just?"

"Vincent found something interesting on the island. I'll explain tomorrow when I see you." Cloud said.

"Oh, um. Okay?" Tifa said confused.

"I'll see you later." Cloud said.

"Bye," Tifa said in a tune.

"Later." Cloud said and hung up.

Tifa pulled the phone away and gave it a strange look. Whatever Vincent had told Cloud, that he was to tell her tomorrow, must've been important to draw Cloud's attention away like that. She suddenly felt intrigued and was ready to hear it. Unfortunately she had to wait practically two more days. After her experiences on the island; her patience was running thin.

Her thoughts trailed away as she saw the door suddenly spring open and to see a happy Denzel run through the door.

"Tifa!" Denzel said with a wide smile, "I remember more! I remember!" He said in delight.

Tifa put the phone down on the bedside table and sat down on the bed and Denzel sat down next to her. "That's great, Denzel. What do you remember?" A smile appeared on her face.

"Tseng wanted to take us to this river." Denzel said. "And then… Tseng got angry after a while when we were walking there. He started shouting. He had been acting weird anyway."

Tifa frowned in puzzlement, "What?"

"I said Tseng wanted to take us to a-"

"No, I mean," She said cutting him off, "I mean, Why was he acting he weird?"

"I don't know?" Denzel said with a frown, "Red kept warning me about him though."

Tifa nodded as she stared at the wall in thought. "Vincent has found Yuffie and Reno." She said after a moment of quietness.

"Awesome! So their okay?" Denzel said brightly.

Tifa flashed a small smile at him, "Yeah, their fine." She said.

"Also, Cloud and Vincent are coming here tomorrow instead of going back out into the field." She added.

"Yes!" Denzel jumped. He was ecstatic, it had been a good day so far for him and it was only the morning. After he had calmed down he looked at Tifa with a smile, "When will they be here?"

"Around noon tomorrow." Tifa said as she watched him sit back down on the bed. He rested his head on the pillow and then put his feet on Tifa's lap.

"Why are they visiting? I thought Cloud wanted to go back to the island to find the rest?" Denzel said as he relaxed.

Tifa started undoing Denzel's laces on his shoes as he rested them on her lap. "Vincent says he wants to talk to you?"

"About what?" Denzel said casually as he let out a yawn.

Tifa undid the first shoe and took it off and then started untying the next one. "I guess he just wants to ask you a few questions to unravel the island mystery."

"What about Yuffie and Reno?" Denzel said as he wriggled his right foot out of its shoe as Tifa undid the lace.

Tifa put his shoes down on the floor and Denzel pulled his socks off. "They're really sick at the moment, Denzel. They need to recover." Tifa said with a hint of sadness in her words.

Denzel nodded, knowing the topic was a little sensitive for now. He rested his head on the hospital pillow and started to think about what he had remembered. They were approaching a river and Tseng had been quickly conversing with Rude. Denzel knew there was something important he was missing but no matter how much he tried to force himself to remember he couldn't. The same scene would play over and over again in his head. It was beginning to drive him crazy. He couldn't help but feel pressured to remember even if Tifa had told him it was okay to take his time, but for him it wasn't. As he lay on the hospital bed he thought about how Red, Rude, Tseng and Cait Sith were still on that island. How it had been just over two weeks now and they were still on there. He could barely remember himself being on that island but what he did remember had scarred him and Denzel didn't think he could have another frightening and animalistic survival event happen to him again.

But now he was safe. He looked over at Tifa who was staring at the floor in thought. If only he knew what she was thinking.

* * *

Bam! The metal door hit the wall next to it with incredible strength and power which left a dent in the wall, proving that the woman who was entering was one to fear. A confused and shocked man than appeared from around the corner. His face reminded her of a terrified mouse who had just escaped a chase from the eager cat. The woman walked closer to him and held out a gun to his forehead. Immediately he knew what was going on. He knew the day would come when someone would threaten him like this. He had been waiting for this. He was ready for this.

He stared back at the woman's brown eyes that bore into his. They stood still glaring at eachother for what felt like minutes but were truly seconds. Then out of the ordinary, and not part of the woman's plan, the man launched his fist forward and punched the gun out of her strong grip. Shocked, her eyes went wide and she looked down to see her trusty gun slide across the white tiled floor. As she turned her head to look again at the man she met his fist. His clenched hand collided with her jaw and immediate pain struck her. In anger she swung her leg and kicked him in the gut but only to be punched back in the check bone. Her face was in agony but her determination made the pain disappear for a few seconds as she pushed herself forward and slammed the man against the wall. She pinned both his arms to the wall and then head butted him and kneed him hard in the groin.

A groan of pain escaped the man's mouth. The woman let go of him and he fell to the floor, she took this opportunity to grab her gun. She pivoted on her foot and began to bolt to it but the man reached forward and grabbed her ankle causing her to fall. She fell forwards and hit her forehead incredibly hard on the bench that was only inches from her. She felt a cut appear on her face and could feel blood starting to seep out.

The man than crawled above her on the ground as she laid belly flat on the ground in pain. He grabbed her blonde hair and then brought her head up and then bashed it against the floor. He did it again. The woman was in extreme pain but somehow an animal took control of her and she managed to push the man off. In the action he hit his head hard on the floor. She reached for her gun and felt victory run through her veins ad she felt the trigger. The woman stood up and held the gun at the man who was lying on the floor.

He looked up at her and she saw a tear roll down his face. No, she wasn't going to give in.

"I know what you want!" He shouted with a wobbly voice.

She kept the gun aimed on him the whole time and then crouched beside him on the ground. She lifted her arm and put the gun against his temple, "Then give it to me." She said grimly.

He stayed silent and just stared at her. She quickly began losing patience, "We can do this the easy way," She said calmly, "Or the hard way!" She screamed into his ear.

In fear he nodded and she allowed him to stand up. He led her downstairs into a basement and she started to feel alert. She stood by the open door and kept the gun on him the whole time. She watched his every move. The man pulled out a metal box and turned to her. "Here." He said and held it to her.

She said, "Come closer to me." Since she had stayed by the door and he was on the other side of the room. He stood still in silence.

She decided to take the risk and went over to him. As soon as her hand touched the metal box the man launched forward and tried to grab her but in fear, she pulled the trigger and shot him.

It was an accident but as she watched him fall, lifelessly, to the ground, she realised she probably would have done it in the end anyway. She picked up the box from the ground and then walked to the door. But before closing it she turned back and looked at the dead man on the floor.

"Thank you, Mr. Trenton." Elena said and smirked.


End file.
